Christian Barmore Receives Eye-Rolling Fine For Hitting Josh Allen

Christian Barmore on Saturday learned the NFL was making his wallet a little bit lighter.

You can bet his initial reaction was akin to, “Uhhh… for what?”

Well, the NFL fined the Patriots defensive tackle $12,913 for “hitting the quarterback” during New England’s Week 7 home win over the Buffalo Bills. The play, which Barmore was penalized for, occurred during the fourth quarter when he hit Josh Allen after the ball was thrown.

Take a look:

Was that a justified roughing-the-passer penalty? By the letter of the rulebook, yes it was.

Was it a fine-worthy hit? It shouldn’t be, but the answer also is yes.

Ultimately, the entire thing should be an eye-roller for fans who yearn for the days of real football. But the reality is that this is the way the game now is adjudicated, and players need to adjust. Barmore likely received no sympathy from Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, who has a no-nonsense approach to coaching his players to the NFL rulebook.

That said, Barmore was excellent against the Bills, and the third-year pro was one of New England’s best players in its last three games. Barmore’s hot streak recently garnered praise from Belichick, who pointed toward improved durability as a key factor in the 2021 second-round pick’s emergence.

Barmore and the 2-5 Patriots will look for their second straight victory when they visit the Miami Dolphins on Sunday.