Ravens: 6 takeaways from Baltimore’s ugly loss to the Bengals in Week 7

The Ravens running back room was nonexistent

One week ago, all three of Baltimore’s running backs scored a touchdown: Latavius Murray, Le’Veon Bell, and Devonta Freeman.

This game, with Murray listed as inactive, Ty’Son Williams joined Bell and Freeman in the backfield, and all three….did not play well.

Together, all three running backs recorded 11 carries for 29 yards with Freeman getting one touchdown. Jackson, instead, did most of the running with 12 carries for 88 yards and a long of 16.

Baltimore has struggled to find consistency in their running game this season and it goes without saying that they have dearly missed J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards.

Prior to this game, trade rumors circulated within the Ravens’ multi-pronged RB room, but after that performance against Cincinnati, teams may not be so interested anymore.

The Ravens wide receivers came to play

Finally, a bit of sunshine: Marquise Brown and Rashod Bateman both played solid games today. Brown caught five passes for 80 yards and one touchdown while Bateman caught three passes for 80 yards and averaged a whopping 26.7 yards per catch.

We knew of Brown’s greatness prior to Week 7, given his superhuman catches (and occasional drops) in previous games.

But Bateman has really burst onto the scene as a potentially uber-reliable target for Jackson this season. The rookie struggled with an injury in the summer, but now that he’s back on the field, the Ravens could use someone like him who provides an edge to their revamped passing game.

With Sammy Watkins still out, Brown and Bateman took on primary receiving duties and did their part. It just wasn’t enough.