The Baltimore Ravens greatly improved their chances of winning the AFC North, by ending a 5 game home losing streak, and defeating the defending AFC Champion Cincinnati Bengals 19-17.
Had they lost, ESPN’s Analytics gave the Ravens a 25% chance of winning the North.
With the win, ESPN’s Analytics give the Ravens a 58% chance of winning the Division.
The Good:
1) Kudos to John Harbaugh for taking the points when available tonight. Facing 4th and 1 with 9:42 left at the Cincinnati 3; there was discussion of going for it. (The Ravens took the delay of game.) By taking the points, and going up 6; you put yourself in position to win with a FG – even if Cincinnati marched the field and took the lead (which is exactly what they did).
2) With Rashod Bateman not available tonight, Devin Duvernay was the Ravens primary option at WR, and he responded with 5 receptions, and 3 carries. He made a difference as he has often so far here in this 2022 season.
3) Mark Andrews had 8 grabs for 89 yards and a TD. There were multiple times where him and Jackson connected on 3rd down to keep drives alive. As someone mentioned in our Game Thread, the Bengals knew the ball was going to him and still couldn’t stop him.
4) As they are currently built, this is a below average defense. I still think it can become league average or better as some players return, but that remains to be seen. Based on who they had available tonight, and how they’ve been playing; I think you have to be very encouraged by their performance tonight vs. a talented Bengals offense. I think the Ravens were right to use the zone as often as they did tonight. They kept the Bengals in-front of them, and didn’t allow themselves to get torched over the top.
5) Cincinnati was 4 of 10 on 3rd down, and 0 for 1 on 4th. Baltimore had 3 sacks, 5 tackles for loss, and Patrick Queen had a pick. They held Joe Burrow to 217 yards passing, and Ja’Marr Chase to 50 yards receiving.
6) Isaiah Likely, James Proche, Tylan Wallace, and Demarcus Robinson had a combined 5 receptions.
7) Jean Pierre-Paul made a difference tonight getting some push, and blocking multiple passes at the line. I thought Odafe Oweh looked better tonight as well. Maybe not a coincidence.
8) The Ravens won an important game against their divisional foe, with Lamar Jackson not playing like Superman or even having a particularly good game. That the Ravens can win a game without Jackson having to be amazing is a good thing. To Jackson’s credit, I thought his decisive running in the 4th made a difference.
9) Justin Tucker is as good at his job as anyone is at theirs.
10) JK Dobbins looked good on his 8 carries. Kenyan Drake had a couple of productive carries as well.
11) It was nice to see Ronnie Stanley on the field. Kind of liked the idea of alternating his series as he was getting his feet wet.
The Bad:
1) While encouraged overall by the defenses performance tonight, they allowed Cincinnati to go 75 yards over 13 plays and nearly 8 minutes to take the 17-16 lead with 2 minutes remaining. There were multiple spots in that drive for someone on the defense to make a play, and it didn’t happen. The Ravens were also penalized 6 times for 48 yards during the game, with it feeling like the majority of penalties came from the defensive side.
2) Likely, Proche, Wallace, and Robinson had their combined 5 receptions; but they only gained a total of 30 yards.
3) Rough night for Jackson overall. He missed would be TD’s to Duvernay and Wallace. The Wallace miss was particularly striking. He seemed uncomfortable for large swaths of the game.
4) Just 8 carries for Dobbins. When are his total touches going to go up?
5) Kyle Hamilton continues to be in the Harbaugh doghouse. Probably didn’t help his cause with his penalty tonight.
The Ugly:
1) Marcus Williams was forced to leave the game with a wrist injury. The news is not good, and that’s a blow to a Secondary that is trying to find their footing.
What Others Had To Say:
Up Next:
On Sunday, the Ravens face the 4-1 Giants in New York (Jersey). The Giants are returning from London, victors over Green Bay. Saquon Barkley has been running wild. ESPN’s Match-up Predictor gives the Ravens a 67.3% chance of winning.
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Chris Stoner founded Baltimore Sports and Life in 2009. He has appeared as a radio guest with 1090 WBAL, 105.7 The Fan, CBS 1300, Q1370, WOYK 1350, WKAV 1400, and WNST 1570. He has also been interviewed by The Baltimore Sun, Baltimore Business Journal, and PressBox (TV). As Owner, his responsibilities include serving as the Managing Editor, Publicist, & Sales Director.