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My opening thoughts.....Ravens 27 Bengals 24
While the Ravens were running the final seven plays of the game to seal a win Sunday, Joe Burrow was on the sideline using a massage gun on his injured calf. It was quite the visual on a day the Ravens dropped the Bengals to 0-2 with a 27-24 loss at Paycor.
Next up: MNF at home vs Rams and a serious conversation about Burrow's calf and how it gets healthy if he continues to play? Bengals opened as a six point favorite.
Momentum shift: Trailing 13-10 at the half, the Bengals marched to the Baltimore 17 to start the 3rd. But Joe Burrow was picked at the goal line. On the very next play, Lamar completed a 51-yard pass and they added a TD three plays later. Instead of at least a game-tying FG, the Bengals trailed 20-10.
Too little, too late:
Trailing 27-17 with 7:40 remaining, the Bengals went 80 yards/16 plays in 4:12 for a Burrow to Higgins TD to cut it to 27-24. But they sure wasted a lot of time. And they never got the ball back.
D couldn’t get stops:
3rd down: 9 of 14.
Four double digit drives: 13/TD, 10/FG, 12/FG, 12 TD.
1. Ravens kept a 4th quarter drive alive after 2nd & 23, including 3rd & 3 and 3rd & 5 conversions that led to a TD....27-17.
2. D could not get final stop to give O a chance. Ravens ran the final seven plays, converting 3rd and 2 twice.
Burrow:
35 yards 1st H/187 2nd half.
Total 27-41, 222 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT, 1 sack.
He never saw the safety on the INT.
He hopped out of an ankle tackle early on.
Limped off after final TD, having aggravated calf a play prior w/ 3:55 left.
Offense:
Another slow start. 63 yards at half.
Got into 3rd QT rhythm. Started using middle of field.
13 plays/75 yards…4 of 4 3rd downs on TD drive to cut to 20-17.
3rd D: 2 of 5 1st H……8 of 10 2nd H. .
Tee Higgins 2 TD, 8-89...1st season catch 7:40 of 2nd. Boyd 6-52.
Chase 5-31 yds…just 2 targets, 1 catch, 0 yards 1st H.
Sure didn’t seem like Ravens were w/o two studs in secondary.
Mixon 13-59 (4.9)....just 15 attempts (4.4) as a team.
Chase Brown got his 1st carry/2 yards.
0 points from Tucker 59 yard miss.
QB2 Jake Browning was warming up in final minutes.
Defense
415 yards. Tacking an issue. Picked apart over the middle.
Ravens 75 yards/13 plays/7:48 to produce a TD on opening drive.
Lamar accurate throws: 24-33-291-2 TD. Shifty runs 12-54.
Ravens missing two OL, DL got zero pressure?
Nick Scott got banged around twice. In concussion protocol.
Reader nice 3rd down wrap up, Hill with great coverage on 3rd & 5 incompletion to TE Mark Anders.
Special Teams
Charlie Jones 81-yard punt return for TD.
First Bengals PR TD since Adam Jones in 2012.
Brad Robbins wasn’t bad, but wasn’t really good, either.
Would you?
Trailing 27-17 and facing 4th and 5 from their own 30, Zac punted with 7:30 remaining. The offense got it back just one more time.
1st Half:
Still not sure how Ravens were only up 10-7.
Ravens led in plays (44-17), 1st D (17-4), yards (225-63), TOP (19:44/10:16).
Game numbers of note
Ravens outgained Bengals 415-282
Ravens had the ball for 33 minutes.
The Bengals had just seven possessions.
Penalties killed: A Cappa hold wiped out a Mixon 1st down run on the opening drive that turned it into a 3 and out. A Zach Carter hands to the face penalty erased a Trey Hendrickson sack/BJ Hill strip/Logan Wilson fumble recovery. Cam Taylor Britt was called for pass interference in the end zone....Odell Beckham Jr clearly grabbed and pulled CTB down.