There will be multiple decisions put under the microscope from this one.
The Cincinnati Bengals came into their Week 10 showdown in Baltimore against the Ravens with a chance to even their record at 5-5. Before this game, the four wins the Bengals had been able to tally against were the Giants, Browns, Raiders, and Panthers, who account for just eight wins in total among all four.
The Bengals had yet to defeat a team with a winning record.
Not for lack of trying.
They took the Ravens to overtime. They scored 33 against the Commanders. They lost to the Chiefs by one. The only game that saw them get dominated by their opponent was against the Eagles.
They came into their Thursday Night Football game against the Ravens with a chance to flip the script.
In the first half, at least, they began rewriting their story surprisingly using their defense.
The defense, which allowed the Ravens to score 41 points in Week 5, held them to a single touchdown in the first half Thursday night.
The Bengals opened the game with the ball and drove down the field, finding themselves in a fourth-and-goal situation early. Zac Taylor decided to be aggressive and was rewarded with a defensive holding call in the end zone. Chase Brown scored on the next play.
The Bengals defense then took the field and forced a three-and-out by the Ravens, setting the tone for how they’d by playing against last year’s NFL MVP early.
The Bengals went for it on fourth down again on their second drive, but aggressiveness is a double-edged sword. They didn’t gain enough yards and turned the ball over in good field position.
The Ravens then went on a 10-play, 59-yard drive that ended with a touchdown, evening the score.
The Bengals and Ravens traded punts over the next couple drives before Burrow and the offense struck again. With just over four minutes left in the second half, the Bengals offense marched down the field on an 11-play drive that took 3:32 off the clock and ended with a Tanner Hudson touchdown, giving the Bengals a 14-7 lead.
With just over 30 seconds left in the half, the Ravens were unsuccessful in getting into Justin Tucker’s long field goal range, and the two teams went to their respective locker rooms.
The Bengals defense started the second half strong, forcing another three-and-out. After the punt, the offense needed just one play to score. Joe Burrow stepped up in the pocket and found Chase on a crossing route. Once Chase had the ball in his hands and a bubble of space around him, he did the rest. He took the ball 63 yards to the end zone, giving the Bengals a 21-7 lead early in the third quarter.
The first mistake of the game, really for either team, was unfortunately committed by the Bengals. Chase Brown allowed Marlon Humphrey to punch the ball out of his arms as he was trying to gain an extra yard, and the ball bounced right into a Ravens player’s arms. The Ravens took advantage of the shift in momentum and, after a highlight-real run from Jackson, were able to find the end zone with a Derrick Henry run on at the goal line.
The Ravens continued to gain the momentum after they forced a Bengals punt. Three plays later, Jackson checked down to Tylan Wallace, who broke arm tackles from Cam Taylor-Britt, then Logan Wilson, then Geno Stone, and ran for an 84-yard touchdown. Justin Tucker did, however, uncharacteristically miss the PAT attempt.
The defense, one that had stood strong in the first half, began to crumble in the second half.
Compounded with head-scratching decisions on offense, like Burrow throwing deep for Burton on fourth-and-short twice when he had no problem checking down most of the game, the defensive mistakes put the Bengals in a situation where their lead was erased.
On the following Ravens drive, Lou Anarumo sent extra pressure after Jackson on third down and got punished for it. The quarterback found Mark Andrews in the end zone, and after going for two successfully, the Bengals found themselves down on the scoreboard for the first time. The defense seemingly used all their good play in the first half and buckled in the second.
With just under six minutes left in the game, Burrow took over at his own 30-yard line. He only needed one play. He found Chase down the field so wide open he literally walked into the end zone. After McPherson’s PAT, the score was tied again.
The Ravens drove down the field, forcing the Bengals to burn two of their three timeouts to save time for Burrow and the offense. On a third-and-goal play, Jackson was able to buy time in the backfield before he found Rashod Bateman in the end zone, taking a 35-28 lead with just 1:48 left in the fourth quarter.
Burrow and the offense, with one timeout and less than two minutes left in the game, slowly and methodically marched down the field. Thanks to facemask and roughing the passer penalties, they found themselves in the red zone fairly quickly. Burrow was once again able to find Chase in the end zone thanks to a beautiful pass over the outstretched arms of two defenders.
Down by one, and facing the prospect of going to overtime against the Ravens on the road, Taylor opted to go for two. Burrow found Hudson, but the pass glanced off his hands, leaving the team down by one point. After a failed onside kick attempt and a kneel-down, the game was over, and a 4-6 record was complete.
The Bengals lost by a score of 35-34 in another close game to the Ravens.
The head coach and Burrow’s decisions will be examined in the next few days as the Bengals fall to 4-6. They travel to the West Coast to face the Chargers on Sunday Night Football in Week 11 before their Week 12 bye.
Tough one.