The Baltimore Ravens were steamrolled by the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday night, losing 32-14. The Ravens drop to 6-6 and could fall out of first place in the AFC North if the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Buffalo Bills on Sunday. Here are the instant reactions from Baltimore Beatdown’s staff:
It’s a universal rule in pretty much every sport: make a habit of losing the ball (or puck, etc.) and you’ll probably lose the game. The Ravens are still learning this lesson, apparently, as they allowed the ball to slip away from them for four fumbles on Thursday night, plus another tip drill interception. The defense fought hard in the first half, but injuries, turnovers, and a ridiculous time-of-possession disparity left them in an impossible situation. Even compared to the Ravens’ losses at the beginning of the year, this one might be the worst yet. The illusion of Baltimore’s win streak has been fully shattered and this team will still need to claw their way into the postseason. **– _Nikhil Mehta_**
It doesn’t get much worse than that. The Ravens spoiled Thanksgiving in front of a rocking crowd and all momentum that had been built since the victory over the Bears is gone. Lamar Jackson committed three turnovers and failed to score a touchdown for the third consecutive game. The offense looked anemic and could not get out of its own way. A Bengals defense which stacked up with some of the worst units in NFL history held the Ravens to just 14 points.
Too many things went wrong to keep singling them out. Hopefully the mini-bye will give the team time to right its many wrongs ahead of next weekend’s must-win showdown with the Pittsburgh Steelers. The AFC North is up for grabs_**– Mark Myers**_
This was a rock-bottom performance from the Ravens’ offense. Against an all-time bad defense, committing five turnovers and possessing the ball for only 20 minutes is inexcusable. Lamar Jackson played about as poorly as we’ve seen him since his rookie season. The Ravens had been getting by in recent weeks thanks to their defensive efforts against low-tier offenses. Their defense couldn’t save them against the Bengals, despite some heroic stops in the first half. The Ravens margin for error is now zero moving forward. This loss needs to be some type of wake up call as the team has a ton to figure out over the next 10 days. **_– Frank Platko_**
It was a rock bottom game. But while everybody will be negative, I’m going to shed some positivity. Lamar Jackson looked the healthiest since his injury. He called his own number multiple times and picked up multiple first downs. He also hit multiple throws downfield. The offense was also end zone bound four times in three quarters, but lost two touchdowns because of a Likely fumble at the six-inch line and a phantom OPInfall on Zay Flowers. Derrick Henry was great, Keaton Mitchell finally scored a touchdown, Likely was the most involved all season. Amongst their five turnovers and the misses from Jackson, it was the most flash they’ve shown since the Miami game.
As for the defense, they held Cincinnati and Joe Burrow out of the end zone the entire first half. The Bengals didn’t score their only two touchdowns until Nate Wiggins was ruled out for a toe injury and the dynamic on defense shifted. They consistently forced the Bengals to settle for field goals and if the offense hadn’t made their mistakes and scored points when presented with the opportunity, it would have been for nothing.
I’m not here to tell you the Ravens played well tonight. I’m not here to tell you the Ravens are a good team. I’m not here to tell you that the Ravens are going to figure it out and do enough to make the playoffs. But I’m here to tell you that with a 10-day break coming up and a chance to rest and figure some things out, there is a vision. You just have to be dumb enough to have hope to look for it.. **_– Zach Canter_**
See More:
* [Baltimore Ravens analysis](/baltimore-ravens-analysis)
* [Baltimore Ravens Game Information](/baltimore-ravens-game-information)