Posted by Sabrina B. @gametimegirl

Titans defensive end Jason Babin is the latest player to bear the brunt of the NFL’s increased emphasis on illegal hits.

Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean reports that the NFL fined Babin $20,000 for hitting Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers in the knee area during Sunday’s game. Babin was called for a personal foul on the play.

Babin has now been fined at least four times for $35,000 this season, and Wyatt reports that the Titans’ defense as a unit has racked up at least $99,500 in total fines this year — almost as much as James Harrison.

The fine for Babin serves as a reminder that just because defensive players have been warned not to hit their opponents high, that doesn’t mean they’ve got free rein to hit their opponents low.

-Michael David Smith