Minnesota Vikings safety Harrison Smith was ejected from their game against the Houston Texans on Sunday afternoon.

Smith was tossed for using his helmet to initiate contact against Texans tight end Jordan Akins:

Smith's ejection was the result of rule changes instituted in 2018. While normally a 15-yard penalty on the defense and an automatic first down, the league published guidelines mandating an ejection should the collision meet one of three criteria. According to the fact sheet, if the defender leads with his helmet to initiate a hit, has an unobstructed path towards his opponent, or if the hit is clearly avoidable, the officials have the ability to eject the offending player from the game.

In Smith's case, it appears that the eighth-year safety has the rare distinction of being in violation of all three stipulations. The disqualification is the second in his career, following another in his rookie year after he made contact with an official in a game against the Tennessee Titans.

The Vikings are looking to earn their first victory of the season, and they'll have to do it without the services of their stud safety.

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