The Baltimore Ravens needed a team effort to overcome a few key injuries and hold off the Cincinnati Bengals. Now, the Ravens have a game in hand, and a two-game lead on the Bengals as they head into the meat of their schedule.
What were the key moments that caused the Ravens to walk away with this win.
3. The Baltimore Ravens started the game off on the right foot
The name of the game to beat the Cincinnati Bengals starts with getting their offense out of whack. For the Ravens, the start to this game could not have gone better. The team took the ball to start the game, and they went right down the field.
They did this methodically, though. The Ravens went 75 yards over 13 plays. The team ate up 7:48 of the clock. Even more impressive, they only faced two third downs. The team was moving the ball in chunks consistently down the field. By the time the Joe Burrow-led offense took the field, half of the quarter was over, and the team was trailing. For an offense that was rusty the week before, this is the worst case.
The ensuing drive for the Bengals went quickly as well. The team went three plays, two yards, and immediately punted. From that point, about eight minutes into the game, it felt like the Baltimore Ravens had control. The Bengals offense was immediately in a funk, and the Ravens offense was ready to move the ball. It set the tone for the rest of the game.
2. From a red zone interception to a red zone trip for the Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens kicked a field goal to end the first quarter and ended up leading 13-10. The Bengals' offense took about a quarter to get out of that funk, but they had just put together a 12-play scoring drive, and they were driving again. Joe Burrow had them in the red zone on an eight-play drive that was looking like it would lead to a second straight score.
Burrow was finding Tee Higgins consistently, and he looked for him again in the red zone, but Geno Stone stepped in front of the pass and made a play, creating an interception. This was obviously huge because it took points off of the board. However, the response was just as big.
On the very next play, Lamar Jackson went deep to Zay Flowers 52 yards. Flowers had been used almost exclusively near the line of scrimmage, but when the turnover came, Todd Monken felt it was time to unleash him down the field. The Ravens gave Flowers two more chances to punch it in before Jackson found Mark Andrews for a touchdown. This took the game to 20-10. If Burrow completes that pass to Higgins, it is 17-13 Bengals, and just like that, it is 20-10 Ravens. That was the game-changing moment.
1. Lamar Jackson scrambled to save the Baltimore Ravens
The Bengals continued to press and push the Baltimore Ravens in this game. The Ravens led 27-17 late, but the Bengals put together a scoring drive that made it a 3-point game and put the pressure on the Ravens to make a play.
The Ravens had the ball with 3:28 to go and a three-point lead. We saw the offense start the game; could they finish it on the right foot? Lamar Jackson and the Ravens faced third down with three yards to go right before the two-minute warning. The Bengals had just one time-out.
Jackson dropped back to pass but had to scramble. In classic Lamar Jackson fashion, he weaved, danced, and found a way to pick up 12 yards and a first down. The Ravens picked up one more first down and won the game. This was everything you wanted to see from Jackson. He played in structure when needed and put the team over the edge with his play-making ability as a scrambler. From start to finish, the Ravens made key plays to win this game.