Ar’Darius Washington has been a revelation for the Baltimore Ravens’ defense, as since he entered the starting lineup, the unit as a whole has gone from one of the worst in the league to one of the best.
That continued in Saturday’s playoff win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, in which Washington had seven total tackles to help the Ravens smother their rival en route to a 28-14 victory.
Unfortunately, that win came at a price to Washington, literally. On Saturday, the NFL fined the fourth-year safety $5,472 for unnecessary roughness (use of the helmet). The play occured with 5:14 remaining in the third quarter, when Washington collided with Steelers wide receiver Ben Skowronek on a 3-yard run by Najee Harris.
This marks Washington’s first fine of the season, as well as the Ravens’ first fine in two weeks.
No other players on either team were fined.
Washington, 25, is a restricted free agent this offseason, and with how he’s come on this season, the Ravens will definitely want to bring him back. For now, though, their focus is on Sunday’s highly-anticipated Divisional Round matchup against the high-flying Buffalo Bills.
