Patriots Special Teamer Brenden Schooler Disciplined By NFL

New England Patriots special teamer Brenden Schooler received an unnecessary roughness penalty late in the first half of New England's win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.

But the NFL deemed that just getting flagged on the play wasn't enough punishment for Schooler.

The league on Saturday also fined Schooler $4,861 for his actions, according to ESPN's Mike Reiss. Schooler was penalized for making contact with a Steelers player after the whistle, per Reiss.

Schooler, who was the only Patriots player fined from the game, has been a key piece of New England's special teams unit since joining the organization last season as an undrafted free agent.

While Schooler has stood out at times with his strong play, the 26-year-old also has played undisciplined this season, leading to four penalties, which is tied for the most on the team. That's never a good sign and the optics of it are even worse for Schooler since he plays exclusively on special teams.

Schooler's issues are a microcosm of the problems that have persisted on special teams for the Patriots for several seasons now. Once a strength for New England, the Patriots have routinely made costly mistakes -- they got away with a big one against the Steelers -- in that facet of the game.

The Patriots will need a mistake-free performance from their special teams unit, including Schooler, if they look to pull off the upset of the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday.

The Chiefs and Patriots kickoff at Gillette Stadium at 1 p.m. ET.