Broncos Safety May Face More League Discipline after Vicious Hit on Vikings QB Josh Dobbs
The Denver Broncos defeated the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday night, but in the aftermath of the game, one of their players could be facing discipline from the NFL.
Broncos safety Kareem Jackson has been notorious for laying some pretty brutal hits on opposing players throughout the season, and Week 11 brought yet another of those questionable plays.
During the Vikings opening drive, Jackson led with the crown of his helmet as he barreled into the chest of Vikings QB Josh Dobbs. The play resulted in a fumble, which Denver recovered, but it was not flagged for unnecessary roughness.
Broncos Safety May Face League Discipline for Hit on Josh Dobbs
Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reported on Monday, “The NFL is reviewing #Broncos safety Kareem Jackson’s hit on #Vikings QB Josh Dobbs on Sunday night for potential discipline. Jackson just returned from a two-game suspension, so a violation could trigger another suspension. No flag was thrown.”
As Pelissero alludes to, Week 11 was Jackson’s first game back on the field after serving a two-game suspension for multiple illegal hits. His first ejection for an illegal hit came in Week 2 against the Washington Commanders, and then during Week 8 against the Green Bay Packers, the safety was ejected for a hit on TE Luke Musgrave.
So far this season, Jackson has paid up $89,670 in fines for these illegal hits. His initial suspension was for four games, which would have included last night’s game against the Vikings. However, he appealed the suspension and got it trimmed to two, allowing him to return to the field in Week 11.
Pelissero later followed his initial report by tweeting, “Worth noting: This is the type of hit we’ve seen the New York command center eject players for this season. But with no flag thrown on the field, NY isn’t allowed to intervene. Now another suspension could be coming instead.”
The question of whether or not Jackson should have been flagged for the hit was also a point of discussion during Kevin O’Connell’s postgame press conference.
The Vikings head coach was asked if he felt a flag should have been thrown, and he responded, “On the field, it felt like that. I’ll have to go back and look at it. It tends to happen pretty fast out there, but in the moment, coming from the second level the way he did, it seemed like a pretty direct helmet-to-helmet type hit. But I’m sure [officials] saw it differently on the play. They’re officiating a fast play right there.”
Seeing as the controversial play happened so early in the game, it is tough to point the finger at it and suggest that it was the reason Minnesota lost. That being said, the Vikings ultimately fell by one point, and with the Broncos being able to turn that turnover into a field goal, it certainly made a difference in the final outcome.
If nothing else, it should be viewed as very lucky that Dobbs was not severely hurt during the play. He went into the medical tent following the hit (likely to be evaluated for concussion symptoms), but he was able to return on the very next drive. Seeing as Minnesota has already dealt with injuries to Kirk Cousins, Nick Mullens, and Jaren Hall at the QB spot, another injury would have complicated matters further at that position.
Regardless, the 6-5 Vikings head back to Minnesota this week and will get an extra day of rest before taking on the Chicago Bears in another primetime matchup. This time, they will face their division rivals on Monday Night Football in Week 12.
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Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho and managing editor of PurplePTSD.com. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.