Five turnovers by the Baltimore Ravens led to a 32-14 defeat at home to the Cincinnati Bengals.

In this game, the Ravens fumbled four balls. Three of them occurred in the first quarter: one was by Isaiah Likely, who turned a Bengals touchdown into a touchback; and two were by Lamar Jackson, who gave Cincinnati the ball in the red area. Baltimore’s defense only allowed six points in the first-half as a result.

Henry carried the ball only five times in the first half, which is absurdly low when you consider that the opponent has one of the worst rush defenses in the NFL. Mitchell’s first-half touches are also a testament to Baltimore’s bizarre refusal to run early in the game. This error might be forgiven if the Ravens were able to move it through the air. Jackson was unable to make his target for most of the game. And when he finally did, he failed to deliver. Zay Flowers also committed an offensive pass interference to cancel a touchdown, and Devontez Walker was unable to catch multiple deep balls.

The only time that the offense was able to get going in the third quarter, when they switched over to the run game, is when you guess it. The Ravens started the second half by going three-and out and watching the Bengals take their defense all the way down the field to score a touchdown, giving them a 19-7 advantage. Todd Monken, desperate for a response, finally turned to his talented backfield. He called five runs in seven plays, capped by an 18 yard touchdown by Keaton Mitchel.

Mitchell’s touchdown cut the Bengals lead to five, and it seemed for a short time that the Ravens might be able to come back. This brief period lasted exactly 3 minutes 44 seconds. Cincinnati then waltzed across the field to score another touchdown. Baltimore’s performance up to that point made a 26-14 score seem insurmountable.

Henry’s 44-yard catch and run on the next drive kept hope alive in some small way. In the red zone, the Ravens were threatening to close the gap to just five points. A third-down Jackson pass was tipped by Bengals linebacker Demetrius knight at the line. The Ravens’ turnover on downs was followed by an immediate field goal after a long return. With just eight minutes left, the game seemed over.

The defense fought as hard as it had all night. The defensive tackle Travis Jones recovered and forced a fumble on his own 12-yard-line to stop another Bengals touchdown and give his offensive one last chance.

They promptly fumbled the ball. Flowers was unable to move upfield when the ball was ripped out of his hands. He and his teammates walked away in disbelief. The Ravens, after another Bengals field-goal, handed the ball over to Rasheen to finish the clock. They left the stadium with their tails between their legs.

With the loss, the Ravens drop to 6-6 and could lose their first-place AFC North position if the Steelers beat the Bills this Sunday. The game on Thursday night showed that the questions that plagued Baltimore’s offensive earlier in the season never disappeared. The Ravens don’t look like they can make a run tothe postseason. The Ravens will play the Bengals twice, the Steelers once, the Packers and the Patriots in the final weeks of the season. This is a far cry from their cupcake schedule between October and November.

Kyle Hamilton stated after the game, “they remember how they play in December.” If the Ravens falter and miss the playoffs for the first time in 2025 with a healthy Lamar Jackson on the field, the Thanksgiving matchup could be the moment that the 2025 season is completely out of their hands.