Gridiron Glory. Football Analysis. Expert Insights.

DeVonta Smith, Khristian Boyd, New Orleans Saints, Philadelphia Eagles

New Orleans Saints Defensive Tackle Khristian Boyd Fined by NFL for Ugly Hit

The NFL dolled out its punishment for Khristian Boyd’s brutal hit on Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith during Sunday’s game.

DeVonta Smith
Sep 22, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith (6) is injured on a tackle by New Orleans Saints defensive tackle Khristian Boyd (97) during the second half at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

Boyd was fined $4,600 for the hit that did not draw a flag on the play, even though Boyd led with his head and knocked Smith’s helmet to the ground.

The hit could have long-ranging consequences for Smith and the Eagles, as the wide receiver suffered a concussion on the play and did not practice on Wednesday ahead of Philadelphia’s Week 4 contest in Tampa Bay against the Buccaneers.

Nevertheless, Saints head coach Dennis Allen defended Boyd this week, believing that it was merely a football hit and nothing dirty or illegal.

“I’d say our guys play extremely hard, and we’re going to compete until the down is over,” Allen said, via Katherine Terrell of ESPN. “I don’t think we play dirty. I don’t think we ever have played dirty. It’s not the way we coach it, not the way we teach it, but we do play hard.

Through the first three games of his NFL career, after being chosen in the sixth-round of this year’s NFL Draft by the Saints, Boyd has just one total tackle.

For More Football News:
Follow Matt Lombardo on Threads at @MattLombardoNFL. To read more of our articles and in-depth NFL coverage, click here.

Avatar of Matt Lombardo

About Matt Lombardo

Matt Lombardo is a seasoned NFL reporter, with over 12 years of experience covering the league. In addition to his work at Gridiron Heroics, Lombardo covers the NFL for Heavy.com, is an on air sports contributor for FOX29 Philadelphia, and writes an NFL Substack "Between The Hashmarks." Lombardo is the former Senior NFL Insider of FanBuzz, and prior to taking that role was a national NFL reporter at FanSided where he hosted a weekly podcast "The Matt Lombardo Show." A former beat reporter for NJ Advance Media (Parent company of NJ.com and the Newark Star Ledger), Lombardo covered the Philadelphia Eagles from 2011 through the 2017 season before moving to cover the New York Giants for the Star Ledger for two seasons from 2018 through 2020. During his career to date, Lombardo has covered five Super Bowls, four NFL Drafts, multiple NFL Combines, and has had his work frequently featured in publications such as Pro Football Talk, CBS Sports, and more. In addition to his journalism work, Lombardo is a strong on air presence and is a former sports talk radio host on 97.5 FM The Fanatic, Philadelphia's first FM Sports Station and the radio home of the Philadelphia 76ers and Philadelphia Flyers.

Leave a Comment

Share your thoughts and join the discussion

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Stay in the Game

Get the latest sports news and analysis delivered to your inbox.

Share This Article