NFL Week 13’s matchup between the New England Patriots and New York Giants turned into a bruising, chippy game that usually leaves a trail of fines. Plenty of hits bordered on the edge; a few crossed it. One of the players who paid for it was Patriots veteran safety Jaylinn Hawkins.

Hawkins, in his sixth NFL season, was fined $9,944 for unnecessary roughness (hit on the defenseless player) in quarter 2 at 13:03, as per the league’s GameDay Accountability report.

The play came early in the second quarter during an incompletion from the Giants’ QB Jaxson Dart to Theo Johnson. Craig Woodson had the coverage, Hawkins came in to finish the play, and he led with his helmet. That led to a helmet-to-helmet hit on Johnson.

It wasn’t malicious, but it was the kind of contact the league watches pretty closely.

As per the NFL’s rulebook (Section 2, Article 8): Forcible contact to the head or neck area of the runner with the helmet, shoulder, or forearm is unnecessary roughness.

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It wasn’t his Hawkins afternoon overall. Later, he got caught flat-footed on a 30-yard catch-and-run by WR Darius Slayton, who turned him around and sprinted into the end zone. Still, New England walked away with a comfortable 33-15 win, their tenth straight, and improved to 11-2. Hawkins will take the fine over a loss any day.

Also, he was the only Patriots player to get fined in Week 13.

The bigger theme, though, was just how physical the game became. Giants tight end Theo Johnson, who was hit by Hawkins, was also fined $6,488 for unnecessary roughness (late hit) in quarter 1 (4:20).

Here’s what happened: Linebacker Christian Elliss’ sideline hit on Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart was a legal one. But the rookie QB went flying owing to the force. That started a sideline scuffle as Johnson shoved Elliss. And the aftermath was the fine Johnson received.

Further, Giants’ corner Andru Phillips was hit with a $7,292 bill of his own. It added insult to what was already a long afternoon for New York.

But the surprising part? Christian Elliss, responsible for the two biggest hits of the game on Dart and returner Gunner Olszewski, wasn’t fined or flagged.

Christian Elliss escapes punishment

The hardest hits of the night didn’t come from Jaylinn Hawkins, Theo Johnson, or Andru Phillips. They came from the Patriots’ LB Christian Elliss. And somehow, he walked away without a fine.

The first one was against Giants rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart. But the Patriots’ linebacker believes he did nothing wrong that night.

“I saw the scramble, I started chasing him down. He started tiptoeing on the sideline. I thought he was just going to go out of bounds, but then I saw him tiptoeing. So I was like, He’s staying in bounds — what am I supposed to do? We play hard on defense. We try to bring life to this team. I was just doing my job and hit anything in the whites,” he said.

A few series later, he drilled returner Gunner Olszewski, a hit that left Olszewski with a concussion. It was a helmet-to-helmet hit.

Olszewski was taken to the locker room before he was ruled out to start the third quarter. That was a setback for the team because the player had been the Giants’ primary returner for all 13 games.

Elliss later said it was not an intentional hit. “Prayers go up for the returner,” he told the media.

So, when the league announced fines this week, Giants fans were already bracing themselves. And when Elliss wasn’t on the list, frustration only deepened.