Ravens do enough (but not their best) to beat Bengals, 27-3

Forgive me for thinking Joe Burrow was ready to give the Cincinnati Bengals a puncher’s chance against the Ravens defense. Burrow is an exceptional talent at QB, but against the Ravens in the rain, he regressed. It happens.

The Ravens attack was somewhat subdued according to the limitations of Lamar Jackson’s current groin and knee issues. It wasn’t pretty, but the Ravens QB rather quietly took what the Bengals gave him and let the Baltimore defense do most of the heavy lifting.

Jamison Hensley of ESPN and former beat-writer for the Ravens gave this account:

“In Sunday’s 27-3 win, the Ravens took out their anger out on Bengals rookie quarterback Joe Burrow, turning the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft into an in-the-pocket piñata. One by one, Ravens defenders took their hits as seven different players recorded a sack.”

The Ravens’ seven sacks were their most since October 2018 against the Titans. Baltimore, which is 4-1 for the first time since its 2012 Super Bowl season, finished with nearly as many quarterback hits (15) as completions allowed (19).

The Ravens held Burrow, who became the first rookie in NFL history to throw for 300 yards in three consecutive games last week, to 183 yards passing.

The Ravens had struggled to get their pass rush on track this season, entering Sunday’s game with nine sacks in the first four games. Baltimore sent pressure from all angles and all positions to take advantage of a poor Cincinnati offensive line and get clean shots on Burrow.

Ravens defensive coordinator Don “Wink” Martindale was relentless in sending pressure, especially with blitzing his defensive backs. Every starter in the secondary — cornerbacks Marlon Humphrey and Marcus Peters, and safeties DeShon Elliott and Chuck Clark — all recorded sacks.

Burrow is the latest young quarterback to get roughed up in Baltimore. The Ravens are now 18-2 against rookie quarterbacks at home.

Hensley gives us the Cliff’s Notes version of this game:

“Describe the game in two words: Fast start. The Ravens jumped out to a 10-0 lead in the first quarter, which is familiar territory. In Lamar Jackson’s four starts against the Bengals, the Ravens have outscored them 45-7, in the first quarter.”

“Promising trend: Turnovers, lots of them. Baltimore forced three turnovers, extending the NFL’s longest active streak to 18 straight games with at least one. Rookie middle linebacker Patrick Queen got the better of his reunion with LSU teammate Burrow. After hitting Burrow so hard to cause a fumble in the first half, Queen picked up a loose ball in the fourth quarter and returned it 52 yards for a touchdown. It marked Baltimore’s second defensive touchdown of the season.”

“QB breakdown: Jackson looked like a quarterback who hardly practiced. He was held out Wednesday with a sore knee and was forced to go home Thursday with a stomach issue. The reigning NFL MVP was wild on most of his throws, connecting on 51.3% of his passes (19-of-37), the third-worst completion rate of his three-year NFL career. Jackson did convert in the red zone, where he threw touchdown passes to tight end Mark Andrews (five yards) and wide receiver Marquise “Hollywood” Brown (2 yards). He finished 19-of-37 for 180 yards with 3 yards rushing, the lowest total of his career.”

Matchup
1st Downs	12	17
Passing 1st downs	9	10
Rushing 1st downs	3	6
1st downs from penalties	0	1
3rd down efficiency	3-16	7-15
4th down efficiency	2-3	0-1
Total Plays	65	62
Total Yards	205	332
Total Drives	12	12
Yards per Play	3.2	5.4
Passing	135	171
Comp-Att	19-30	19-37
Yards per pass	3.6	4.5
Interceptions thrown	1	1
Sacks-Yards Lost	7-48	1-9
Rushing	70	161
Rushing Attempts	28	24
Yards per rush	2.5	6.7
Red Zone (Made-Att)	0-1	2-2
Penalties	5-40	4-25
Turnovers	3	1
Fumbles lost	2	0
Interceptions thrown	1	1
Defensive / Special Teams TDs	0	1
Possession	34:39	25:21