5 Baltimore Ravens who stepped up to beat Cincinnati Bengals

The Baltimore Ravens needed a group effort to beat the Cincinnati Bengals. They were technically undermanned in this game, but it did not look like that on the scoreboard or watching the game play out.

At the end of the day, there were many more winners than there were losers on Baltimore's side, and the Flock came back home boasting an impeccable 2-0 record to the ominous Bengals' 0-2 start to the season.

Who were the players that stood out for the Ravens and made this game a win?

5. Baltimore Ravens got a strong performance from Geno Stone

The Ravens were missing Marcus Williams, but if you watch the game, you could hardly tell. That is because Geno Stone was playing excellent football, including building the turning point of the game. According to PFF, he was the highest-graded Ravens player in week two, and it is hard to disagree after the way he played.

Stone had eight tackles, three of them deemed stops by PFF. He allowed just 18 yards in coverage, and of course, he had the game-changing interception. Williams was signed to make that exact impact on the games that Stone did. It was like they did not lose anyone.

The Ravens may have switched to a more two-deep look because of the loss of Williams, but that is also the smart way to play against Joe Burrow. In that case, the need for Wiliams was not as strong, and Stone thrived in the role.

Now, the issue is that this cannot last forever. There is a reason why Williams is highly paid, but in small doses, the team can find ways to work around it, and in this game, it was Geno Stone playing well to lead the charge. Every game that the Ravens can get by without feeling the loss of a key player is a huge win. Thanks to Geno Stone, they got that.