Ravens Deliver 'Vintage Performance' in Dominant Must-Win Over Bengals
With three weeks to go in the regular season, it's officially a two-team race in the AFC North.
The Ravens saw to that with a 24-0 dismantling of the Cincinnati Bengals at Paycor Stadium on Sunday. The victory eliminated the Bengals from playoff contention and kept the Ravens in control of their playoff destiny.
Baltimore (7-7) ended a two-game skid and pulled within a half-game of the Pittsburgh Steelers (7-6), who host the Miami Dolphins on "Monday Night Football." Miami has won four straight since losing to the Ravens on Oct. 30.
The Ravens' 32-14 loss to the Bengals on Thanksgiving was one of their worst performances of the season, but Sunday's rematch was their best. With the wind chill in the negative at kickoff, the Ravens proved that revenge is a dish best served cold.
Pundits noted that the victory had an old-school Ravens feel, as it was fueled by dominant defense and a strong running game.
The Athleticâs Jeff Zrebiec: "Registering their first shutout since they beat the Tennessee Titans 21-0 in October 2018, holding a Joe Burrow-led offense without points for the first time in his NFL career, and officially eliminating the Bengals (4-10) from playoff contention were the rewards from the Ravens' finest three hours of the season, at least to this point. ⊠In many ways, this was a vintage Ravens performance. Playing in the coldest game in franchise history â game-time temperature was 10 degrees with a minus-1 windchill â the Ravens' defense warmed to the task early and never let the Bengals up. They sacked Burrow three times, hit him 10 times and let the quarterback and his offensive line know about it, too."
NFL.comâs Eric Edholm: "That classic Baltimore formula â a healthy run game combined with an active defense â is the formula the Ravens have been seeking all season, and they found it in a must-have game against a Bengals team that thumped them on Thanksgiving."
The Baltimore Bannerâs Jonas Shaffer: "Before the game, safety Kyle Hamilton was captured delivering a passionate, PG-13 speech to his fellow Ravens defensive backs. The Ravens' season was teetering, but he focused his energy on the Bengals: 'We beat them, their [expletive] season's over!' The Ravens played with that [expletive]-you energy all game. They hit hard. They chirped Joe Burrow. They flexed and talked and stared. They embodied all that this Ravens defense has been missing, even when it's been playing well: a take-no-prisoners swagger."
Press Boxâs Bo Smolka: "Defensive Coordinator Zach Orr made Joe Burrow look nothing like the Joe Burrow who has thrown for more than 400 yards three times against the Ravens. In this game, Burrow struggled early, and both the weather and the Ravens defense had a hand in that. Pressure disrupted Burrow's pocket at times, and more than once he looked unsuccessfully for a flag as he was picking himself off the frozen turf. ⊠Orr, in his second year as defensive coordinator, took the lion's share of the heat earlier this season as the Ravens stumbled to a 1-5 start. His job status was a hot topic. To his credit, the well-liked Orr brushed aside criticism and insisted each week that he and his charges were focused on the next game. This was Orr's finest hour in two years in charge of the Ravens defense."
Baltimore Beatdownâs Stephen Bopst: "It's hard to remember a better performance from the Ravens' defense over the past two years. In a must win game, against an offense that's given them serious issues, Zach Orr and the defense delivered a masterful performance, shutting out a prolific Bengals offense. The pass rush looked the best it has all year, which led to some big turnovers, including the incredible interception by Kyle Van Noy who handed it to Alohi Gilman for a 95-yard TD."
Baltimore Beatdownâs Mark Myers: "What a breath of fresh air. The defense turned back the clock with a truly stellar performance, shutting out Joe Burrow and a Bengals offense that have tormented them in the past. Alohi Gilman, Dre'Mont Jones, and Travis Jones all played tremendously, and credit is due to Kyle Van Noy for the savvy handoff to Gilman on the pick-six. For the offense, the formula was simple. RUN. THE. BALL."
The Baltimore Sunâs Tim Schwartz: "Derrick Henry (11 carries for 100 yards) carried the ball the first three plays of the game to set the tone, and he started breaking off longer runs as the game progressed. Keaton Mitchell looked healthy, gaining 66 yards on eight carries, and Lamar Jackson had a timely 14-yard run, too. This is Baltimore's recipe for success. Count on the defense to have a good day and ride Henry and Mitchell (and Rasheen Ali, because why not?) to victory."
After Taking Rest Day, Jackson Has Best Game Since Week 9
Another development that bodes well for the Ravens' playoff aspirations was that Jackson looked more like himself than he has since the Dolphins game in Week 9.
"This was not the quarterback who seemed out of answers over the previous month as his passing touch abandoned him and his battered legs failed to produce the old magic," The Baltimore Bannerâs Childs Walker wrote. "Jackson swaggered again, running without fear and firing accurately when he sniffed the end zone."
Jackson only threw 12 passes â the fewest in a game in which he started and did not exit early due to injury â but he was efficient, with eight completions and two touchdowns. Two of his four incompletions were drops.
Jackson also showed more mobility and better burst.
"A little rest did Lamar Jackson good," Smolka wrote. "For the first time in a month, Lamar Jackson wasn't listed on the official injury report, but he didn't practice this past Wednesday for what was deemed a rest day. It's highly unusual for a starting quarterback to take a rest day during the season â a customary practice for some older veterans â but Head coach John Harbaugh said this week that what's most important is 'for [Jackson] to be ready to play his best on Sunday.'"
Neither Jackson nor Burrow had ever lost a game played in Week 15 or later. Jackson improved to 16-0, while Burrow fell to 10-1.
"Playing in frigid weather, Jackson outplayed Burrow, operating with efficiency and showing better touch on the ball than Burrow," Smolka wrote.
Pundit Predicts Ravens-Steelers Week 18 Game Will Decide AFC North
The Ravens face tough opponents in their next two games, hosting New England in Week 16 and playing at Green Bay the following week. Depending on what happens in those contests and the Steelers' remaining games (vs. Miami, at Detroit, at Cleveland), the regular-season finale between the Ravens and Steelers could be for the division title.
ESPNâs Dan Graziano believes that will be the case.
"The Steelers remain in the driver's seat, having beaten the Ravens last week in their first head-to-head matchup," Graziano wrote. "And if Pittsburgh can beat Miami and Cleveland in Week 17, it should be OK in the tiebreakers.
"But Baltimore looked as good Sunday as it has all season. If Lamar Jackson is healthy and the defense is playing well, the Ravens become very dangerous regardless of matchup. I like their chances to stay within striking distance and go into that Week 18 game at least tied for the division lead, which would make it a division title game."
Walker said the Ravens' performance against the Bengals in a must-win game showed what they are capable of.
"If the Ravens had lost in Cincinnati, these upcoming showcase games would have felt terribly empty," Walker wrote. "They've created real stakes and given us reason to think they might be up to such sturdy challenges. But, if the improvement we saw was fleeting, we'll know in a hurry."
