The Minnesota Vikings ended up with a big 34-26 win over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, but didn’t come away completely unscathed. For a hit on De’Andre Hopkins on a two-point conversion attempt, Vikings safety Harrison Smith was fined $15,914 per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
The NFL fined #Vikings S Harrison Smith $15,914 for unnecessary roughness – a hit on #Cardinals WR DeAndre Hopkins on a failed two-point conversion last week. Hopkins lobbied for a flag, but none was thrown. Instead, a fine for Smith.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) November 5, 2022
Postgame, Hopkins retweeted a video (he has since deleted the tweet) of the hit asking the NFL why this wasn’t called. He had a good point, as Smith did hit him when he was arguably a defenseless receiver while there was helmet-to-helmet contact.
This isn’t the first time that Smith has been fined, but it is the first this season. The last time he was fined was after the game against the Los Angeles Rams last season. That fine was for unsportsmanlike conduct and for $12,875.
Tough break for Smith’s wallet as he was just playing hard.