The Baltimore Ravens may have won their Week 12 game against the New York Jets, but this victory came at a cost. Edge rusher Dre’Mont Jones was fined $14,055 for unsportsmanlike conduct in the fourth quarter for a violent gesture. After a sack in the fourth quarter, the player had celebrated by putting his hand up to his throat and performing a slashing action. But it turns out that wasn’t his intention.

“I was just saying “it’s over” like in a competitive sense,” Jones explained on X and further joked, “Now my kids aren’t gonna have Christmas gifts this year #ThankYouNFL.”

Jones sacked the Jets quarterback, Tyrod Taylor, with almost two minutes remaining in the game. He came from the right, cut through the offensive linemen, and grabbed Taylor’s right arm before he could throw the pass.

The sack practically sealed the game in their favor, and that explains his celebration. The NFL, though, has been curbing violent gestures or celebrations, and that’s the reason he received a fine.

The No Fun League has made life difficult for the linebacker.

He signed a one-year $8.5 million contract with the Tennessee Titans in the offseason. They traded him to the Ravens in November, just before the trade deadline. And this is his second fine of the season. He was earlier fined $11,593 in Week 6 for a facemask under the unnecessary roughness category.

But his latest fine also sends a message across all 32 teams.

Everyone needs to be cautious about how they celebrate. For instance, earlier this month, Bills‘ Josh Allen received a fine for his finger gun celebration after scoring a touchdown against the Chiefs.

Regardless, Week 13 didn’t bring the bad news about the fines alone; the Ravens are also in serious trouble with their playoff chances.

Ravens suffer setback after Week 13 loss

The Ravens went on a winning streak after quarterback Lamar Jackson returned. After winning five games in a row, they had six wins total, the same as the first-placed team in the AFC North division, the Pittsburgh Steelers. But the Cincinnati Bengals gave them a hard reality check in Week 13, defeating them 32-14.

Now, this has put them in a difficult situation.

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If the Black and Gold win their Week 13 game against the Buffalo Bills, they will have seven wins and remain atop the standings. From now on, it’s a cat-and-mouse game as both teams will try to remain in the playoff picture. It brings more fun next week for players like Dre’Mont Jones as the Ravens will face off Steelers in Week 14.

It will also reveal which team is hungrier for success and wants to win at any cost. Overall, both teams haven’t performed at their best level this year. All other teams in the AFC playoff picture have at least seven wins already. But it’s more about winning and securing a seat in the playoffs than the record right now.

As per the New York Times’ playoff simulator, the Ravens still have a 60 per cent chance to go to the playoffs after the loss to the Bengals.