Mike Hilton has been fined $15,000 for his roughing-the-passer penalty in the second half against the Broncos. Minkah Fitzpatrick was fined 11,619 for his horse collar tackle, also in the second half.
— Joe Rutter (@tribjoerutter) September 26, 2020
Boneheaded penalties were costly both on the field and off the field, as two in the Steelers secondary faced hefty fines by the NFL this week.
According to Joe Rutter of Trib Live, cornerback Mike Hilton and safety Minkah Fitzpatrick were both penalized for personal foul calls that occurred in the second half versus the Denver Broncos.
On a third-and-6 play, Fitzpatrick was fined $11,619 for a horse-collar tackle on Broncos tight end Noah Fant. The personal foul gave Denver a fresh set of downs at Pittsburgh’s 4-yard line. Amazingly, the Steelers defense managed to keep Denver out of the end zone, but a successful field goal brought the score to 17-6.
The Steelers have the third-most pass interference penalties in league with five.
The very next drive, on 2nd and 10 in Pittsburgh territory, Hilton was called for roughing-the-passer on Jeff Driskel. The move cost the Steelers 15 yards and an automatic first down, and Hilton $15,000. It also led to a 17-14 score when Denver’s drive culminated in a touchdown and two-point conversion.
Ten penalties for 89 yards were called on the Steelers; a couple was phantom — on both teams. Either way, that’s just too many and something with which the team needs to be more disciplined.
While the unnecessary penalties on critical downs gave the Broncos life, thankfully, it didn’t win them the game.
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