Getty
Wide receiver Jayden Reed of the Green Bay Packers.
The Green Bay Packers won’t have quarterback Jordan Love for their game against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 17, and the team got more bad news on Saturday afternoon.
The NFL’s Office of Gameday Accountability announced punishments for wide receiver Jayden Reed and defensive lineman Warren Brinson due to on-field transgressions against the Chicago Bears in Week 16.
The league levied a $10,880 fine against Reed for unsportsmanlike conduct by way of taunting late in the third quarter of the contest. The NFL dinged Brinson in the amount of $4,981 for unnecessary roughness due to a facemask late in the game against Bears quarterback Caleb Williams.
Brinson’s penalty wiped out a third-down-and-20 situation for Chicago on a key drive, which fed into a 10-point comeback in the fourth quarter and ultimately led to an unlikely Bears’ victory in overtime.
NFL Fined Austin Booker Twice for Multiple Hits on Packers QB Jordan Love, Who Will Miss Week 17 With Concussion
GettyDefensive end Austin Booker of the Chicago Bears sacks quarterback Jordan Love of the Green Bay Packers.
Bears defensive end Austin Booker caught a couple of fines himself from the NFL this week, both of which stemmed from roughing the passer penalties on Love — the second of which knocked the Packers QB out late in the first half with a concussion and will keep him sidelined Saturday night against Baltimore.
Players find out about their fines earlier than the league makes them public, and Booker spoke about his during an interview with the Chicago Tribune late last week.
“The first one I’ll take full responsibility for. Like, I landed on him, I should have braced myself more,” Booker said. “But I think the second one could definitely go both ways.”
It was the second hit that knocked Love out of the game. However, Booker felt that Love ducked his head just before impact, which is what caused the helmet-to-helmet contact and led to the quarterback’s injury.
“I’m just playing football, making a tackle,” Booker continued. “He ducked his head and football plays happen.”
Ravens Likely Without Lamar Jackson Against Packers at Lambeau Field
GettyBaltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson.
Roughly three hours before kickoff at Lambeau Field on December 27, Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson remained “doubtful” to play against the Packers.
Assuming nothing changes in the interim, Packers backup Malik Willis will square off against Ravens backup Tyler Huntley in a game with serious playoff implications for both teams.
Green Bay is already in the postseason, but owns the No. 7 seed and can only move up by capturing the division over the Bears. That means the Packers have to win both of their games down the stretch, while Chicago must lose each of its final two contests.
On the other side of the equation, Baltimore needs to win out to have a chance to make the playoffs by claiming the division crown. The Ravens (7-8) play the Pittsburgh Steelers (9-6) in Week 18.
If Baltimore defeats the Packers and the Steelers lose to the Cleveland Browns this weekend, the final game of the season between the two rival franchises will determine the sole playoff representative from the AFC North.
Max Dible covers the NFL, NBA and MLB for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, Chicago Bears and Cleveland Browns. He covered local and statewide news as a reporter for West Hawaii Today and served as news director for BigIslandNow.com and Pacific Media Group’s family of Big Island radio stations before joining Heavy. More about Max Dible
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