Aug. 23—Late in the Chiefs’ first preseason game against San Francisco on Aug. 14, the 49ers running back JaMycal Hasty took a pitch and headed for the edge of the line of scrimmage.

San Francisco offensive lineman Corbin Kaufusi had pulled on the play and was out in front of Hasty.

Chiefs safety Will Parks was closing down on Hasty but Kaufusi was in front of him. Parks dived and Kaufusi was tripped up on the play. A flag was thrown and Parks was penalized for breaking a new NFL rule.

In a video the NFL released about its points of emphasis and rule changes ahead of the 2021 season, it noted this particular infraction.

“The tight end box is defined as the area 2 yards outside the normal tackle position and extends 5 yards on either side of the line of scrimmage,” the video’s narrator says. “Blocks below the waist during a scrimmage down prior to a change of position are prohibited by players of either team unless this contact occurs within this tight end box.”

It does not apply to runners or receivers trying to make a catch.

Parks was outside the tight end box, so he was flagged for breaking this rule.

Terry McAuley, the rules analyst for “Sunday Night Football,” shared a video of the play and wrote of Parks: “Not sure what he is supposed to do.”

McAuley doesn’t seem to like the rule:

On Saturday, Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network reported Parks had been fined $5,500 for the low block.

“The first player penalized and now fined under the NFL’s new rule regarding such plays,” Pelissero noted.

Here is how Parks reacted to that news:

While it’s not connected to the penalty or fine, Parks was released by the Chiefs on Monday.

When Drew Brees retired after the New Orleans Saints 2020 season, it was widely believed that Taysom Hill would slide right in as his replacement.

saints coach Sean Payton had cultivated playing time for Hill, designing offensive schemes to put the ball in Hill’s hands for both run and pass plays. When Brees went down with an array of injuries last November, Hill filled in admirably, going 3-1, completing 72 percent of his passes and rushing for four touchdowns in four starts.

However, the top pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, Jameis Winston, has performed well enough to earn New Orleans’ starting quarterback spot, according to several analysts, including former tight end turned analyst, Shannon Sharpe.

Mitchell Trubisky torched his former team by throwing for 221 yards and a touchdown to lead the visiting Buffalo Bills to a 41-15 victory over the Chicago Bears on Saturday in a preseason game

Trubisky completed 20 of 28 passes while receiving a mix of boos and cheers from the fans at Soldier Field. He was selected by the Bears with the second overall pick of the 2017 NFL Draft, but the team declined to pick up his fifth-year option.

Trubisky is expected to back up Pro Bowl quarterback Josh Allen this season. Allen sat out Saturday’s contest.

Chicago’s Andy Dalton completed 11 of 17 passes for 146 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Rookie quarterback Justin Fields entered in the third quarter and completed 9 of 19 passes for 80 yards while rushing for 46 yards.

Fields received a scare to start the fourth quarter after he was drilled by Bills linebacker Andre Smith, who was whistled for roughing the passer. Khalil Herbert scored on a 13-yard touchdown run on the next play.

Jets 23, Packers 14

New York rookie quarterback Zach Wilson had a great showing, passing for 128 yards and two touchdowns in the victory. New Jets wide receiver Corey Davis had four catches for 70 yards while tight end Tyler Kroft caught both scoring strikes from Wilson. Matt Ammendola kicked three field goals for the Jets, including a 54-yarder. Kurt Benkert played the whole way at quarterback for Green Bay, which was without Jordan Love (shoulder). Benkert finished 18-for-25 for 151 yards with a touchdown and an interception. The Packers finished with three turnovers.

Dolphins 37, Falcons 17

Tua Tagovailoa passed for 183 yards and a touchdown and Myles Gaskin scored twice as host Miami cruised past Atlanta. The second-year quarterback found Gaskin for an 8-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter to highlight a crisp effort against a Falcons team that rested its starters. The Dolphins’ first unit played the opening half and went into the locker room with a 14-3 lead. Atlanta’s A.J. McCarron, who is competing to be Matt Ryan’s backup, was 3-of-6 for 43 yards before leaving with a knee injury. Feleipe Franks came on and completed 4-of-9 passes for 46 yards and an interception.

Ravens 20, Panthers 3

Baltimore posted a victory at Carolina to equal the NFL record by winning its 19th straight preseason game, tying Vince Lombardi’s Green Bay Packers from 1959 to 1962. The Ravens rested about half of their offensive starters, including quarterback Lamar Jackson, and Tyler Huntley threw for 187 yards with an interception in his place. Nate McCrary and Ty’Son Williams each rushed for a score for Baltimore. Sam Darnold only attempted two passes for Carolina, one of which was a 16-yard completion to Robby Anderson, his former teammate with the New York Jets. Christian McCaffrey did not suit up for the Panthers, who totaled only 33 yards on 17 rushing attempts without their star tailback.

Steelers 26, Lions 20

Ben Roethlisberger posted a perfect quarterback rating of 158.3, throwing two touchdowns in Pittsburgh’s triumph over Detroit. Roethlisberger completed 8 of 10 passes for 137 yards for the host Steelers, while the Lions sat quarterback Jared Goff. Running back Najee Harris, Pittsburgh’s first-round pick this year, totaled 10 yards on four carries but caught two passes for 53 yards. David Blough was 12-for-17 for 143 yards and a touchdown to pace Detroit, while Mason Rudolph went 13-for-18 for 138 yards in relief of Roethlisberger, and Dwayne Haskins came on to pass for 56 yards and run for 10.

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BUFFALO, N.Y. — Buffalo Bills offensive lineman Dion Dawkins said he was hospitalized for four days while dealing with the COVID-19 virus.

The team’s starting left tackle was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list before its first training camp practice on July 28 and was activated on Thursday. It was a harrowing stretch for Dawkins, 27, who called it “one of the lowest points that I’ve ever been.”

“I never even thought I could get that low because I’m so animated,” he said. “And that hit hard, even with the mental stuff — it hit every part of me and I was shocked that it could even hit that.

“Being in the hospital was probably the hardest part because I was like, ‘Man, I’m in the hospital — my team is out there working and I’m here.'”

Dawkins said he dealt with shortness of breath, fever chills, coughing, dehydration — the full “checklist” of symptoms attached to COVID-19

The father of two said he initially did not know what to believe in terms of the virus and the vaccine because of all the information — and misinformation — being spread, but he decided to get vaccinated because he “wanted to do what was right,” and his prematurely born son whose lungs were still developing was a primary consideration.

However, his positive result came within the two-week period following his second dose for the vaccine to fully kick in.

“I wish I could have been fully vaccinated — if I was fully [vaccinated], it probably would have been a little easier on myself,” he said. “But hey, whatever you’re comfortable with, do it. Just do your research and try to think about others because everybody is going to go through it differently.”

Dawkins said his teammates’ first reaction to his return was shock over the roughly 16 pounds he’d lost. He said his teammates also asked for “the honest truth” of what he went through dealing with the virus — which he gladly shared with them.

He said he emphasized that they did not want to get to the point he reached during his time away from the team.

Dawkins also said he spoke with Bills receiver Cole Beasley, who vocally opposed getting the vaccine and the NFL’s rules for vaccinated and unvaccinated players. He called Beasley his “brother” and said Beasley wasn’t downplaying the virus and vaccine as much as he was downplaying the information he was given.

The 2017 second-round draft pick rejoined the team last week to do conditioning work on the side before his activation off the reserve list. Bills coach Sean McDermott said Monday that Dawkins had a ways to go before he was ready to contribute.

“He’s not close to where he needs to be to play and help us,” McDermott said. “So he’s got a long road here. So we’re just going to … he’s going to control what he can control, and so are we. He’s got to continue to work hard to get himself back to where he’s — I mean, this is what, going on Week 4 of training camp at this point, so he’s missed a lot of time.”

Dawkins said he couldn’t believe how “down bad” he was as a professional athlete hospitalized by COVID-19 — but that his experience convinced several of his family members to get vaccinated, as well.

Buffalo signed Dawkins to a four-year, $68 million extension last offseason. He has been the Bills’ starting left tackle for each of his four NFL seasons.

 Buffalo Bills wide receivers Cole Beasley and Gabriel Davis will miss the next five days of practice after being deemed close contacts of a team trainer who tested positive for COVID-19, a league source confirmed Tuesday. Defensive tackle Star Lotulelei is also in quarantine, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

All three tested negative for the virus Tuesday morning but must miss practice anyway, per the NFL’s COVID-19 policy. The trainer is fully vaccinated, a source told Schefter.

The NFL’s policy, which heavily restricts unvaccinated players while allowing a return to near normalcy for vaccinated players, sparked criticism from Beasley in June, when he tweeted that he was not vaccinated and would continue to “live my one life like I want.”

The NFL policies include more frequent testing, masks and social distancing in the team facility and during team travel for unvaccinated players. It also requires unvaccinated players to stay away from the team for five days if they are deemed close contacts with someone who test positive for COVID-19; vaccinated players do not have to quarantine if they are a close contact.

It was the frequency of testing, however, that Beasley was most critical of: Unvaccinated players are tested daily under the policy governing preseason and training camp, while vaccinated players are required to test only every two weeks.

“It’s common sense that if a vaxxed or unvaxxed player is tested less frequently, the likelihood of a player being pulled for COVID drops dramatically,” Beasley said. “In regard to player safety, I’ll conclude by saying we all want to be safe.”

Beasley was the Bills’ second-leading receiver in 2020, recording 967 yards on 82 catches — both career highs. Meanwhile, Davis’ seven receiving touchdowns were good for second most on the team during his rookie year last season.

Lotulelei opted out of the 2020 season, calling his decision the “best decision for myself and my wife and kids” considering the uncertainty surrounding COVID-19.