What We Learned from Baltimore’s 35-34 win

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1. Ravens offense caught fire in second half after sluggish start. The Ravens were having one of their most sluggish offensive games of the season until well into the third quarter, trailing, 21-7, at a shocked M&T Bank Stadium. But Chase Brown’s fumble seemed to wake up the Ravens and the crowd, giving them great field position and putting them back in the game. Lamar Jackson got loose for the first time all night, pulling off a tightrope beauty down the right sideline to set up a momentum-swinging touchdown. Then Jackson found Tylan Wallace for an 84-yard tightrope of his own, breaking a tackle and taking it the distance. It was the first of three fourth-quarter touchdowns by the Ravens, each 65 yards or longer, to put them up, 35-28, with less than two minutes left. Baltimore’s battered defense allowed the Bengals to score a touchdown but stopped them on the two-point conversion for another thrilling win. The Ravens’ nuclear offense took more than a half to shake out of its slump, but Jackson and the rest of the crew were special when they had to be.
2. Bengals nearly pulled off big win but came up short on two-point conversion. When Joe Burrow found Ja'Marr Chase for a touchdown to cut the Ravens’ lead to 35-34 with 38 seconds remaining, Burrow threw up two fingers without hesitation. The Bengals were going for a win – one that could have evened their record at 5-5. Burrow’s throw to Tanner Hudson on the two-point conversion fell incomplete, Burrow took a shot on the play, Hudson fought through contact and even Mike Gesicki appeared to be taken down on the other side of the play. There were no flags, the Ravens recovered the ensuing onside kick and ran out the clock. Burrow threw for 428 yards and four touchdowns, and Chase was incredible with 11 catches for 264 yards and three of those scores. The Bengals’ offense was mostly terrific (outside of Brown’s big fumble), and might have had a few calls go against them, including a missed facemask earlier on the final drive, but it wasn’t quite enough as they fell to 4-6 and made their playoff hunt even tougher.
3. Ravens defense, without injured Hamilton, struggled to finish off Bengals. During the Bengals’ go-ahead touchdown drive late in the first half, Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton appeared to slip and twist his ankle, leaving the game and later getting ruled out. Five plays later, the Bengals scored to go up, 14-7. Then, on the Ravens’ next defensive snap in the third quarter, it was 21-7 after Chase burned them and went 67 yards untouched through the middle of the secondary. Chase would score twice more in the second half, continually roasting Baltimore’s already maligned secondary. But without Hamilton out there, things were often ugly. Brandon Stephens was repeatedly picked on. Marcus Williamswho was benched a few weeks ago, took some shaky angles to the ball on all the big plays. The Ravens had the right idea on money downs, playing man defense and forcing lower-percentage throws, such as the fourth-down miss to Jermaine Burton. Justin Madubuike also had a career-high three sacks, and the Ravens ultimately got the stop they needed at the end. But the struggles without Hamilton should make them a bit concerned.
4. Bengals’ defense crumbled in second half. It was nearly a perfect game script for the first 40 or so minutes, with the Bengals controlling the ball and getting key stops on Lamar Jackson, forcing four three-and-outs and taking a two-touchdown lead. Cincinnati’s defense had allowed fewer than 150 yards in the first three quarters but completely fell apart in the fourth, allowing three long touchdown drives to allow the Ravens to take control of a game the Bengals should have won – and frankly needed to win. A missed tackle by Cam Taylor-Britt (and little help behind him) led to an 84-yard TD. The Bengals’ pass rush, which was disciplined early, lost contain on Jackson several times in the second half. In the fourth quarter alone, Jackson completed 11 of 13 passes for 197 yards and three TDs, reminiscent of the Week 5 thriller between these teams when Jackson threw for two fourth-quarter TDs and led a wild comeback. The Bengals just can’t seem to find the right approach to defending Jackson. They tried a more passive approach this time, often “mush” rushing and blitzing very selectively, a big departure from the heavy-pressure approach the first game. Neither worked. The Bengals’ defense showed some real fire early, but it burned out late.
5. Ravens receive offensive contributions from unexpected source. This was a typical Ravens offensive game in some respects. They rang up 35 points and touchdowns on four straight drives to close out the game. Just another day at the office in the box score, right? Well, no. Yes, Jackson was special in the second half, and Derrick Henry also came on strong with some important runs. But in a game when Zay Flowers was quiet and new acquisition Diontae Johnson didn’t make much noise, the Ravens received shocking help from Tylan Wallacewho entered the game with nine receptions but caught three balls for 115 yards, including an 84-yard catch and run and a big 20-yarder in the fourth. Wallace is officially a Bengals killer now, with eight of his 12 career catches strangely coming against Cincinnati. Rashad Bateman also ended a quiet spell with the go-ahead TD, but Wallace’s contributions were massive.

Next Gen Stats Insight for Bengals-Ravens (via NFL Pro): Justin Madubuike tied a career high by generating seven pressures on 48 pass rushes (14.6%) while accumulating a career-high three sacks. Both of Madubuike’s two highest pressure totals in a game this season have come against the Bengals. He had six pressures in Week 5.

NFL Research: Ja’Marr Chase’s 431 yards receiving this season versus the Ravens are the most ever for one player against a single opponent in a season, topping Art Powell’s 428 yards for the Raiders versus the Oilers in 1963.