All was penalized for unnecessary roughness after headbutting Dolphins safety Julius Wood between plays. This could have been ruled as striking, kicking, or tripping, which would have carried higher potential fines on a first offense, but the infraction was classified as unnecessary roughness.
Battle’s fine emerged from a second-and-8 play at the Dolphins 42-yard line, during a run by Malik Washington that gained 18 yards to the Bengals 40. Battle made the stop but lowered his head into Washington as he forced him out of bounds. The league’s decision to fine him at this level is notable, especially since there was no flag on the play. Only Maxx Crosby of the Las Vegas Raiders has been fined more for a helmet-related infraction in Week 5.
Separately, Bengals defensive back Dax Hill avoided additional discipline after being flagged for unnecessary roughness and for pulling a player off the pile during the contest. There is no standard fine for those specific infractions, though the NFL has previously docked players for similar actions, including involvement in pile situations.
Overall, the Bengals will look to clean up on-field conduct as they head into their bye week, before their next matchup against the Baltimore Ravens.
