The Pittsburgh Steelers are coming off the emotional high of beating the Buffalo Bills soundly at Acrisure Stadium Saturday night, but one member of the Steelers defense had to be thinking about their previous game before kickoff.

That player would be inside linebacker Kwon Alexander, who was heavily fined by the NFL for a penalized hit in Week 1 of the NFL Preseason vs. the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The hit was flagged for a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty, and also carried a $43,709 price tag with it.

This per Brooke Pryor of ESPN, and you can see the play again in the player below:

This hit cost Steelers ILB Kwon Alexander a $43,709 fine for unnecessary roughness, source confirms. pic.twitter.com/vEMPVL9fcl

— Brooke Pryor (@bepryor) August 19, 2023

Alexander avoided any penalties, and likely fines, in the Week 2 win over the Buffalo Bills, but you have to watch the above play and wonder what exactly he was supposed to do in that specific situation. Alexander was making a football play which the league now deems to be unsafe. They aren’t changing their rules, so players must learn to adapt or pay the fines if they don’t.

It wasn’t clear if Alexander was going to appeal the fine, but it is highly unlikely any appeal would be successful considering the play was flagged in-game.

Be sure to stay tuned to SCN for the latest news and notes surrounding the Steelers as they prepare for the Atlanta Falcons in Week 3 of the preseason.