The Ravens keep finding memorable ways to defeat the Cincinnati Bengals.
In Week 5, Baltimore won a 41-38 overtime shootout in Cincinnati that went back and forth.
The script was different Thursday night, but Ravens still found a way. Trailing by 14 points in the third quarter, Baltimore rallied to defeat the Bengals, 35-34, in an emotional roller coaster at M&T Bank Stadium that essentially ended with a failed two-point conversion.
Here are my five thoughts on a victory that gave the Ravens (7-3) their seventh victory in their last eight games:
The Ravens' offense can explode at any time.
Baltimore's offense is highly flammable, always a threat to catch fire at any moment.
It didn't look conceivable that the Ravens would score 35 points in this game midway through the third quarter when they trailed 21-7. But a huge forced fumble by Marlon Humphrey became the lighter fluid that Baltimore's offense needed.
From that point, the Ravens cooked. Jackson (25-of-33, 290 yards, four touchdowns) was the main chef. His miraculous 10-yard sideline scramble several plays later was the appetizer.
Jackson had help. The most memorable touchdown was by Tylan Wallace, who tight-roped down the sideline for an 84-yard touchdown reception, the longest of his career. Wallace, Mark Andrews, Rashod Bateman, and Nelson Agholor all had touchdown catches.
Derrick Henry (16 carries, 68 yards) scored a touchdown in this game, but they didn't need him to be Superman. That's the beauty of the Ravens' offense this season – they have playmakers everywhere and they can score against any opponent at any time.
Their dynamic offense makes them a threat to play into February, with Jackson having a full menu of playmakers to choose from. But his teammates all pointed back to Jackson. Down 14, they had no doubt the offense would catch fire.
"We've got Lamar Jackson," Bateman said. "I ain't going to lie to you – if 8's on the field, we got a chance to win the game, period."
Humphrey is a Bengals beater.
For the second time this season, Humphrey made a humongous play against Cincinnati that dramatically turned the game in Baltimore's favor.
The Ravens looked listless until Humphrey forced a Chase Brown fumble in the third quarter that was recovered by Roquan Smith. Suddenly, Baltimore's offense came to life, scoring 28 points over the final 22 minutes.
When the Ravens needed a big play, Humphrey provided it.
"I felt like when 'Marlo' (Humphrey) forced that fumble, that kind of woke us up," Jackson said.
Humphrey did the same thing against Cincinnati in Week 5, intercepting Joe Burrow late in the fourth quarter when the Ravens were down by three points. That led to Justin Tucker's 56-yard field goal to force overtime, and Baltimore won despite giving up 38 points and five touchdown passes to Burrow.
Without those two plays by Humphrey, the Ravens would likely have two losses against Cincinnati. Instead, they have two wins that may lead to the Bengals (4-6) missing the playoffs for the second straight year.
"I am more of a punch guy. But that's something we had really been stressing – [Defensive Coordinator] Zach [Orr] and the room – of just getting shots on goal, getting shots on goal, rip outs [and] doing what you can," Humphrey said. "It's cool when the drills pay off that you do all throughout the season, and then they pay off in the game."
Baltimore's pass defense is far from fixed.
Ja'Marr Chase (11 catches, 264 yards, three touchdowns) and Burrow (34-of-56, 428 yards, four touchdown) put on an aerial display that almost sank the Ravens. To preserve the victory, the Ravens denied the Bengals on a two-point conversion attempt in the final minute, when Burrow's pass intended for Tanner Hudson fell incomplete.
Chase is a great player, but some of his catches were simply too easy. On his second touchdown, the Ravens let him run freely in the middle of the field, and it was almost like pitch and catch between him and Burrow for a 70-yard touchdown.
The Ravens realize they're winning in spite of their pass defense, not because of it. Neither Humphrey nor Head Coach John Harbaugh sugar-coated Baltimore’s defensive problems after the game. The Ravens aren't playing defense up to their standards, but they are winning because their offense is carrying them. Humphrey said the Ravens are executing properly in practice, but it's not carrying over into the games.
That needs to change for Baltimore to go as far as they hope.
The good news is that the Ravens' pass rush improved. They hit Burrow like a piñata all night, landing 13 quarterback hits to the Bengals' one. Part of that was attributable to Orlando Brown Jr. not playing for Cincinnati, but Baltimore took advantage.
Nnamdi Madubuike had three sacks for the first time in his career, upping his season total to five. But he still wasn't pleased with the overall results
"That's just not our standard of defense and we know that," Madubuike said. "We're going to find ways in practice to improve and get better, and I know that guys in that locker room feel the same way as me and we're going to get that done. We just got to take it one day at a time and just focus on the right things [and] build the right habits and translate it to the game."
Kyle Hamilton's ankle injury is a concern.
Harbaugh said after the game that Hamilton’s ankle injury was not serious, but he is uncertain how long it will be until Hamilton returns.
The All-Pro safety watched from the sideline in the second half after being injured in the second quarter. He has been the Ravens' best defensive player this season, and he's one of the most versatile players in the league.
Without his impact as a pass defender, run stopper, and blitzer, Baltimore's defense has a lot to replace until he returns. It's fortunate the Ravens have 10 days until they visit Pittsburgh in Week 11, giving Hamilton and other injured players more time than usual to recover.
However, even with Hamilton, the Ravens entered this game ranked last in the NFL against the pass, and if they have to play without him, it's not unthinkable that their pass defense could get worse.
Extra Points:
- The Bengals ran 23 plays in the first quarter, the most plays by any team in the first quarter this season.
- The Ravens had 102 total yards in first half, their lowest first-half total over the last two seasons.
- Henry has at least one touchdown in every game this season.
- Wallace (three catches, 115 yards, one touchdown) had the first 100-yard game of his career. In fact, he had 98 receiving yards in his entire career entering the game.
- The Ravens' 42-game streak of rushing for at least 100 yards, which was one game short of their own record from 2018-2021, ended when Jackson knelt on the final play, leaving Baltimore with 99 rushing yards in the game.
