Davante Adams #17 of the Los Angeles Rams warms up before facing the Carolina Panthers.
Ahead of the Los Angeles Rams’ showdown against the Chicago Bears in the NFC Divisional Playoffs, the NFL made costly decisions on plays involving wide receiver Davante Adams and outside linebacker Desjuan Johnson.
Johnson has been on quite a journey with the Rams this season. Unfortunately for Johnson and the Rams, that journey has featured running afoul of the NFL on more than one occasion.
As for Adams, he avoided a worst-case scenario during the incident in question.
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GettyDavante Adams #17 of the Los Angeles Rams reacts after a game-winning catch against the Houston Texans.
According to the NFL, and specifically the Gameday Accountability portal, on January 17, they levied a $6,500 fine against Carolina Panthers safety Nick Scott for “unnecessary roughness” due to a “hit on the defenseless player” over a hit on Adams in the Rams’ win.
The play occurred during the third quarter of their Wild Card head-to-head.
Adams went up to catch a pass from Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford. The pass fell incomplete, but officials flagged Scott for unnecessary roughness during the contest.
That gave the Rams a free 15 yards on a drive that ended with Harrison Mevis connecting on a field goal to give LA a 20-17 lead. Adams dealt with injuries during the regular season, missing the final three weeks of the campaign.
He made his return to game action for the Rams in the win over the Panthers.
LA was able to breathe a sigh of relief almost immediately as Adams was able to finish the game. He finished with five receptions for 72 yards.
He was not listed on this past week’s injury reports in any capacity, good news for the regular season TD receptions leader and long-time Bears pest. Unfortunately for Adams and, really, the Rams, that play was not the only one from that game to draw a fine from the league.
Notably, the NFL did not fine Rams linebacker Nate Landman for his penalty.
Landman was flagged for a helmet-to-helmet hit on Panthers receiver Jalen Coker. Unlike in Adams’ situation, the NFL must have deemed the contact incidental.
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GettyDesjuan Johnson #94 of the Los Angeles Rams celebrates after sacking Geno Smith #7 of the Seattle Seahawks.
According to the NFL, and specifically the Gameday Accountability portal, on January 17, the league fined Johnson $5,830 for “unsportsmanlike conduct” over “taunting” during the third quarter of the Rams’ eventual 34-31 victory over the Panthers.
During the third quarter, Johnson began jawing with Panthers edge Trevis Gipson after covering a kick return.
Officials flagged the play, which cost Johnson and the Rams 15 additional yards.
The drive ended with a rushing touchdown from Panthers running back Chuba Hubbard. LA overcame the incident, but Johnson had conversations with Rams head coach Sean McVay and other members of the staff on the sidelines after the incident.
This marks Johnson’s second fine of the campaign, with the first coming in Week 17 of the regular season for roughing the passer on Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins.
That fine was also for $5,830, per Spotrac.
The Rams selected Johnson with the 259th overall pick of the 2023 draft. He played in six games during the regular season, finishing the season with 12 total tackles, 6 quarterback hits, and 2.0 sacks.
Johnson will look to play a cleaner game as he, Adams, and the Rams take on the Bears in the NFC Divisional Playoffs on Sunday.
Josh Buckhalter covers the NBA and NFL for Heavy.com. He has covered both leagues since 2016, including bylines at FanSided, Last Word on Sports and Clocker Sports. He’s based in Villa Park, Illinois. Follow Josh on Twitter and Instagram: @JoshGBuck More about Josh Buckhalter
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