They did it again. Yes, your Baltimore Ravens blew another double-digit point lead. The Cincinnati Bengals made quick work of them once the second half kicked off, ultimately defeating the Ravens 35-13.
No one is surprised. From the moment the third quarter started, every Baltimore fan knew the direction this was headed. It was more embarrassing than ever, though. The Ravens squandered their 13-point lead in just about 10 minutes, and never provided any hope they could comeback.
The offense flashed by driving into Cincinnati territory, but never did much more. After locking up everything in the first half, the defense put on a display I’m not even sure you can call football. They were picked on down-in and down-out in the second half.
They were completely lifeless and deserved every boo bird from the home crowd.
Here are five instant takeaways from the loss.
5 instant takeaways from Baltimore Ravens’ Week 7 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals
Pathetic second-half defense
Same old, same old. Whenever the Ravens go up by double digits and the second half hits, the defense forgets how to play football. They were humiliated. Absolutely dreadful.
The Bengals put up 35 unanswered points. 35 unanswered.
Blown coverages, missed tackles, penalties, the inability to bring down a quarterback; it’s a group that is snake-bitten. They’re in their heads 24/7. They say every week they need to do better, and they’re sick of it, and they never show signs of turning a corner.
No one was safe. Even Kyle Hamilton had one of the worst performances of his NFL career in that second half. He missed two crucial tackles, including the fourth-quarter Samaje Perine touchdown.
Pressures are cool, but sacks would be way cooler
Stat-keepers need to make a new stat for the Ravens. Almost-sacks. All year, the defense hasn’t been able to wrap up quarterbacks. They’ll fly by and whiff as soon as a quarterback escapes the pocket, fall for pump fakes, and try to snatch at the ankles way too often.
He's a quarterback. Hit them up high. Usually they won’t outmuscle a player who’s at least 30+ pounds heavier firing at full speed. It’s tiring watching these guys try to go low and miss what should be sacks. They can’t come to balance either.
These agonizing issues were highlighted by what should’ve been the easiest sack of Trenton Simpson’s career. Instead, he had an embarrassing miss on Joe Burrow, allowing a 44-yard completion, which set up a touchdown.
Ravens prefer to shoot themselves in the foot instead of finishing drives
The Ravens offense threw the defense a lob. They took over 24 minutes off the clock in the first half, which helped the defense pitch a shutout through those two quarters. However, the production in those drives was unforgivable.
Just like last week, the offense started hot with a touchdown drive. Then, they couldn’t get out of their own way. In the second quarter, they had two drives. One went for 11 minutes, and the other took over 6 minutes off the clock. But all they could muster was two field goals in those major opportunities.
6 points on two drives that drove inside the Cincinnati 20-yard line is flat-out atrocious. When the field gets tight, they can’t move the ball efficiently.
Of course, the penalties were a huge factor, too. It wouldn’t be Ravens football if they weren’t. Several of their 9 penalties came on crucial plays, pushing the offense back. Notably, Mark Andrews, Roger Rosengarten, and Ronnie Stanley all got called for false starts. Veterans with communication issues at home? Simply unreal.
Just put the ball in Zay Flowers’ hands, he’ll do the rest
Are we even surprised by Zay Flowers at this point? It doesn’t matter who’s starting; it doesn’t matter if he’s dealing with injury. He’ll do damage no matter how much attention the opposing defense pays to him.
His biggest play of the day set the tone. He took a screen pass on 3rd-and-9 for 48 yards to the house. The speed, shiftiness, and aggressiveness are all elite traits that make would-be tacklers look silly. Flowers can turn a five-yard gain into a first down in a flash, which was a necessity with Huntley under center.
As if there were any more questions, Flowers is officially elite.
Holding our breath for Vega Ioane
Vega Ioane left the game in the second quarter with a knee injury and didn’t return. Emery Jones Jr. took over at right guard and played the rest of the way.
Ioane is Baltimore’s best offensive lineman. His heroics at center made it clear he was different, and with Cam Jurgens’ Week 7 return, the rookie was back at home at guard. A healthy offensive line looked like it could be the best unit the Ravens had in a while. It lasted two drives.
Knee injuries are always scary. We’ll wait for Jesse Minter’s update before overreacting, but fans are certainly holding their breath. You can’t replace Ioane.
Final words
Lamar Jackson, please save this team.
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