The Baltimore Ravens are finally starting to look like themselves again, but everyone in purple is catching a break. Wide receiver Rashod Bateman, who drew a flag during the Ravens’ victory over the Miami Dolphins, is now dealing with more than just a penalty on the field.

According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, Bateman has been fined $25,154 after cameras caught him in a heated exchange with an official. The clip, shared on X, shows Bateman visibly frustrated and shouting at the referee.

Well, the audio isn’t crystal clear, but fans didn’t have much trouble piecing together what was said. The league apparently didn’t like it either, and Bateman’s outburst has now come with a price tag. This was the second biggest punishable offense this week, with Frankie Luvu’s $100,000 for his hip drop tackle taking up the first spot.

From a football standpoint, the fine doesn’t really move the needle on Rashod Bateman’s role. He’s not suspended, and that means the Vikings’ corners won’t suddenly change how they play him. Sometimes those emotions linger, and sometimes that’s exactly what an opponent tries to use against you, though.

The bigger picture here is that this Ravens roster is finally getting healthy again. For a team that’s been hit as hard as they have been since the start of the season, that’s no small thing. You can’t control injuries, but you can control discipline. And his group can’t afford to lose a guy to something preventable like a suspension.

Rashod Bateman’s quietly been productive. He’s second on the team in touchdowns (two), third in targets (29), and fourth in catches (15) and yards (184). Very steady. Nothing eye-popping, but steady. He’s building off that breakout year he had, finding a rhythm with Lamar Jackson, and now the key is keeping it going.

Because for John Harbaugh, this week feels like a hinge point in the AFC North.

Can the Ravens win the AFC North?

There’s a real chance things start to tilt. At 3-5, the Ravens aren’t where they wanted to be, but they’re getting healthier, and only two players are still on the injury report: Marlon Humphrey among them, though he’s expected to go.

They’re finally starting to look like the team people talked up all summer. Meanwhile, the Steelers sit at 5-3 and atop the division, but there’s a fragility to it. They didn’t make the move at receiver they needed, and their margin for error is slim.

Then look at the schedules. Pittsburgh’s got a rough stretch ahead: Chargers, Bears, Bills, and then the Ravens. None of those are easy outs. Baltimore, on the other hand, gets Minnesota, Cleveland, and the Jets before meeting Pittsburgh. If the Ravens stay healthy on defense, there’s a path to three straight wins before that divisional matchup.

Oddly enough, the wild card here might be Cincinnati. The Bengals’ defense has been a mess, statistically the worst in the league, but they’ve got just enough offense to swing games either way. And since they’ll see both Baltimore and Pittsburgh down the stretch, how they play could end up shaping who wins this thing.

So yes, Baltimore’s got a shot. The numbers say they do, the schedule says they do, and if this team finally finds some consistency, November might be when the tide turns in the AFC North.