The Ravens rebounded in a big manner after back-to back division losses at their home. They are now back to.500, and have kept their playoff hopes alive. A 24-0 victory was a dominant one.
Shutout : With their playoff life on the line in their own home, the Bengals delivered a big goose-egg on the scoreboard. Joe Burrow is the first player to be shut out during his NFL career. Baltimore has not been shut out since 2018. It was a great performance. They had three sacks and two interceptions and held the Bengals’ pass and rush yards to less than 5.0 per cent. Zach Orr may have played his best defensive game as a coordinator in the biggest game of his career.
Lamar Jackson Lamar Jackson was himself this time. The Ravens scored three times in a row after a tough first quarter. They only punted one time the rest of game. Jackson threw only 12 passes but eight of them were completed for 150 yards (at least 12.5″ per attempt) and two touchdowns. Zay Flowers made his only mistake, an interception. He also dropped a difficult but catchable touchdown. Jackson scrambled for 26 yards twice and looked great doing it. He made his best throw this season, dropping the ball between defenders and right into the bread basket on the sideline, to hit Flowers for the touchdown just before the half. Jackson had a very low workload, but was extremely efficient. This is the formula that will keep the Ravens winning in 2025.
Zay FlowersFlowers made two huge drops. One bounced off of his hands and resulted in an interception, while the other could have led to a touchdown. We’ll still call it a draw, considering the weather conditions and the number of drops on both sides. Flowers made up for his two big drops with three catches, 68 yards, and a touchdown. This included an impressive adjustment catch, which the officials had to review. Flowers’ inconsistent 2025 may be the result of an offensively poor season, but he is still the clear-cut number one receiver for this team.
Kyle Van Noy/Alohi Gillman/Ed Reed The Ravens’ defense pulled their own Ed Reed trick the week Ed Reed visited the team in The Castle for practice. Gilman’s return was made possible by Van Noy interception. The Bengals had been in the red area before Van Noy handed off the ball to Gilman. Gilman scored a touchdown, essentially giving the Ravens a 10 or 14-point advantage. In an impressive performance, it sealed the Ravens’ win and shutout. Reed is probably impressed by Van Noy’s bold decision to drop into coverage and grab the interception. He then made the bold move of giving a smooth pass to Gilman who finished the pick-six with a 84-yard run. This is the Ravens’ play of season and one of the contenders for play of year in the NFL.
Pass Rush: After barely getting Joe Burrow during Thanksgiving, the rush was fired up this time. The pass rush was in Burrow’s face the entire day, with 10 quarterback hits and three sacks. This forced Burrow into several mistakes including a pick-six in the red zone. Dre’Mont Jones had five quarterbacks hits and Travis Jones had a sack. Both were impressive in collapsing pocket and making Burrow uncomfortable. Tavius Robinson, who was making his comeback to the field, was equally fired up with a 15 yard sack which knocked out the Bengals from field goal range. The last sack was scored by rookie Mike Green, but the entire defense contributed to the win, including Van Noy, Kyle Hamilton and others.
The issue of time of possession has been ongoing for the entire season. The Ravens lost again in the battle of time of possession, as the Bengals almost doubled their time of control. The shutout by the Bengals defense is even more impressive because it didn’t matter in the end. It’s not sustainable and it makes no sense, when the Ravens have one of best run game in the league which can keep the defense fresh and drain the clock. The Ravens can’t win playoff games with their defense on the field 40 minutes a game and taking 80 snaps. It is important that the offense’s sequencing be improved, as well as its ability to sustain drives.
Teddye Buchanan’s injury:As good as the game was, as much as it looked like a contender returned, there is a price. The Ravens impressive fourth-round rookie was forced to leave the game due to a non-contact injury sustained during punt cover. Buchanan’s ACL is initially suspected to be torn, and his season would end. He is currently the second-highest tackler on the team and has played many snaps in each game before, during and after Roquan’s injury. Buchanan’s rookie season is over. It was a good one. The Ravens must look to Trenton Simpson to fill the void and hope that UDFA Jay Higgins will return.