With the Ravens beating Cincinnati in a 41-38 overtime thriller to improve to 3-2 and move into first place in the AFC North on Sunday, I’ve offered a dozen thoughts, each in 50 words or less:
1. My favorite part of the latest addition to the Lamar Jackson career highlight video was Bengals defensive end Sam Hubbard dropping to his knees in disbelief after the 6-yard touchdown to Isaiah Likely. Even when Jackson messes up and you do everything right, he can still rip your heart out.
2. With Baltimore trailing by 10 for most of the second half, Jackson easily could have zeroed in on Zay Flowers late, but he completed passes to seven different receivers in the fourth quarter, which included Charlie Kolar’s touchdown and Tylan Wallace’s first two receptions of the season. That’s impressive trust.
3. Marlon Humphrey — and other defensive backs — had his worst game of the season, but cutting off Ja’Marr Chase on a slant route to intercept Joe Burrow made the comeback win possible. Humphrey didn’t play another snap after the pick and was spotted wearing a walking boot after the game.
4. The Bengals went 7-for-7 on third downs in the third quarter, which included a few long conversions. Few teams have the aerial firepower that Cincinnati possesses, but this pass defense needs a ton of work, ranking 31st in passing yards allowed and 31st in pass plays of 20-plus yards surrendered.
DERRICK HENRY THE KING.
THIS. GAME.: #BALvsCIN on CBS/Paramount+
: https://t.co/waVpO8ZBqG pic.twitter.com/pyESOlZxkH
— NFL (@NFL) October 6, 2024
5. Derrick Henry all but ended the game with his 51-yard run to set up the game-winning field goal in overtime, but the blocks by Patrick Ricard, Ronnie Stanley, and Wallace made it possible. The team-wide run blocking has been very impressive these last few weeks.
6. Despite multiple injuries over his previous two seasons, Marcus Williams still played at an above-average level, especially in coverage. That hasn’t been the case this year as he has gotten to few footballs and is too often in no man’s land. He has the third-highest cap number on the team.
7. Nnamdi Madubuike picked the perfect time to collect his first full sack of 2024 as he lined up on the edge and twisted inside to sack Burrow and eliminate any shot of Cincinnati putting together a final drive in regulation. Pro Football Focus credited him with a season-high five pressures.
Nnamdi Madubuike lined up wide as a defensive end and pounced like a
on his crucial fourth quarter sack of Joe Burrow. pic.twitter.com/2aHRRyj3mQ— Ryan Mink (@ryanmink) October 7, 2024
8. Mark Andrews finally broke out with four catches for 55 yards in the fourth quarter. However, he still had some tough luck in the process with Jackson underthrowing what should have been a touchdown and officials missing a clear facemask penalty two plays before the game-tying field goal.
9. Though Justin Tucker was money from 56 yards against some challenging wind, special teams are still leaving much to be desired. Wallace allowed a punt to roll to the 2 before the second-quarter safety, and Chris Collier couldn’t field a kickoff that deflected out of bounds at the 8.
10. Zac Taylor noted after the game that Burrow had changed the first-down play from a pass to a run after Jackson’s overtime fumble, but running inside three times and settling for a 53-yard field goal attempt was gutless strategy after Cincinnati had shredded the Ravens for much of the day.
11. I still don’t know what the Ravens were trying to do at the end of the first half with the timeout called on third-and-10 being much more confusing than even going for fourth-and-inches deep in their own territory. John Harbaugh admitted being “overaggressive,” but that was more bizarre than anything.
12. Jackson was unhappy after the game because of his fumble, which again reflects his competitive spirit. But the two-time MVP is playing at an elite level and just knocked off Josh Allen and Burrow in back-to-back weeks. Baltimore’s also in first place three weeks after starting 0-2. Not too shabby.
