The Ravens stayed atop the AFC North standings with a 19-14 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals Sunday at M&T Bank Stadium.
A stellar performance by kicker Justin Tucker dominated the headlines after the victory, but here's a look back at some of the plays you may have missed. (All of these plays were viewed using NFL Game Pass, which is available for fans to purchase.)
Suggs Is Intuitive And Disruptive
Outside linebacker Terrell Suggs showed Sunday how he still has the ability to give opposing quarterbacks nightmares. The 14-year veteran finished with a pair of sacks, forced fumbles, a quarterback hit and a batted pass. The pass deflection on the final drive is a great example of all that Suggs can provide for a defense. He lined up outside the left tackle and shoved wide receiver Tyler Boyd to throw off the timing on his route. Suggs then rolled right into his pass rush, but rather than simply barreling into left tackle Andrew Whitworth, he read quarterback Andy Dalton and stepped back into the throwing lane to knock down the pass for an incompletion. The play is a shining example of how Suggs can affect the game in so many areas.
Great Blitz Call By Dean Pees
Ravens Defensive Coordinator Dean Pees can keep quarterbacks on their heels with some of his creative blitz packages, and that's exactly what he did on the play below. The Ravens brought eight players up toward the line of scrimmage, including both safeties. They also slid outside linebacker Elvis Dumervil to the middle of the line and had defensive tackle Timmy Jernigan lined up outside the right tackle. The unique alignment and all of the pre-snap movement was difficult for the quarterback and offensive lines to dissect, and linebacker Zach Orr had a free blitzing lane to Dalton once the ball is was snapped. The blitz call left Dalton with no time to find an open receiver and he simply heaved a throwaway pass over the middle of the field.
Judon Sets Edge, Jernigan Shrugs Off Double Team
The emergence of rookie fifth-round pick Matthew Judon has been an encouraging sign this season. The Grand Valley State linebacker came into the NFL known as a pass rusher, but he's shown real development as a run defender recently. Judon did a nice job setting the edge against the Bengals, which he showed in the play below where the Ravens stuffed running back Jeremy Hill for no gain. Judon shrugged off a blocking attempt by tight end Tyler Eifert to meet Hill in the backfield and stop him in his tracks. Jernigan also deserves credit for splitting a double team to help Judon finish the tackle. The Ravens like what they've seen from Judon, and that's why he was active Sunday over last year's fourth-round pick Za'Darius Smith.
Huff Delivers A Crushing Block
Safety Marqueston Huff came up with about as crushing of a block as you're going to see. The play was on a punt return by Devin Hester in the second quarter, and Huff came running down the field full speed to de-cleat a potential tackler and spring the returner for some extra yards. The block actually took two Bengals out of the play.
