Saints safety Kenny Vaccaro capped his first regular-season NFL game by tipping what would have been a game-winning touchdown pass to Falcons tight end Tony Gonzalez.
Earlier in the game, Vaccaro had his first career late hit, diving onto a sliding Matt Ryan.
For the infraction, Vaccaro has been fined $7,875, per a league source.
Vaccaro will have the right to appeal, but it looks pointless. He clearly hit Ryan after Ryan had begun his slide. In that situation, the quarterback is off limits.
In that same game, linebacker Junior Gallette applied an open-handed slap to the top of Ryan’s helmet. No flag was thrown, but if the league deems the hit to be forceful, Gallette will be fined.
For now, it’s unknown whether Gallette was fined.