The Baltimore Ravens bludgeoned the Cincinnati Bengals this week to the tune of a 27-3 score courtesy of dominant defense. Time for some game balls.
Marcus Peters:
The Baltimore Ravens defense was so dominant vs. the Cincinnati Bengals that it’s easy to overlook some terrific individual efforts from its players. This is the case with Marcus Peters, who gets our first game ball here.
Peters forced two turnovers on the day, including the team’s only interception off Joe Burrow. Peters also grabbed a strip-sack, although the loose ball was not recovered by Baltimore. Burrow was coming off three consecutive 300-yard passing game and Peters was a huge reason why the Ravens held the high-flying passing attack to under 200-yards.
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It’s not often that stats like what Marcus Peters put up get overlooked, but that seems to be the case for this week. Don’t worry, Marcus, I see your huge game and award you the first game ball.
Marlon Humphrey:
It’s time to start the Defensive Player of the Year talks for Marlon Humphrey after another stellar week.
Humphrey has perfected his ability to punch the ball out of an opposing player’s hands over the last two years and recorded his third forced fumble of the year on receiver Mike Thomas (not the New Orleans Saints Pro Bowler). That fumble wound up getting returned for a touchdown and effectively put the game completely out of reach if it wasn’t already. To make his day all the more impressive, Humphrey recorded his first sack on the season, as well. It was the type of performance that puts the league on notice.
Even coming off a First-Team All-Pro season in 2019, Marlon Humphrey has been even better in 2020. His game vs. the Bengals was his best of the season thus far and I have a feeling the best is yet to come. Until then, Humphrey secures our second game ball.
Patrick Queen:
Just like how Marlon Humphrey should be in Defensive Player of the Year talks, Patrick Queen must be in Defensive Rookie of the Year talks.
Against the Bengals, Queen racked up a team-high nine tackles (tied with Chuck Clark) as well as a strip-sack on his former teammate, Joe Burrow. Queen also recovered two fumbles: the one he forced on Burrow and the aforementioned scoop-and-score from Marlon Humphrey’s strip. It was the first touchdown of Queen’s young career and a play he won’t soon forget. Queen was flying all over the field on Sunday and looked like the best defender on the field; a feat made all the more impressive considering two other defenders got our first two game balls. Queen simply looked unstoppable.
Patrick Queen has taken no time at all to assert himself as a top-10 linebacker in football and easily the best from the 2020 NFL Draft class. Queen has been a godsend for this defense and he’ll only get better as the season progresses. Queen’s performance was the best of all the Baltimore Ravens players vs. the Cincinnati Bengals and as such he gets our final game ball.