The Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals faced off on Sunday, and somehow the Ravens found a way to win. Jackson sliced through the Bengals’ defense, and a desperate clutch play by the defense led to a 41-38 OT victory.
MVP: Lamar Jackson
In an all-out quarterback showdown with Joe Burrow, Lamar Jackson came out victorious. Every time the Ravens needed a clutch play*, he made it. What an incredible, amazing and brilliant football game. Jackson put on the cape and fought Super LJ with all his might, overcoming multiple 10-point deficits.
Jackson finished the game completing 26-of-42 passes for 348 yards and four touchdowns. He also added 55 yards on the ground.
*No, we’re not talking about the overtime fumble. Why should we do that?
MVP: Derrick Henry
This offseason, the Ravens signed the best running back in a generation to be the clutch playmaker they need when everything is on the line. A running back is the locomotive that pulls the offensive team on the field. Then, on one play after Bengals kicker Evan McPherson missed a 53-yard winning field goal, Henry stormed back for a 51-yard gain to give the Train the win. And to top it all off, Henry surpassed 10,000 career rushing yards and 100 career touchdowns.
MVP Justin Tucker
A topic that will be talked about throughout the season is the struggles of Tucker over the age of 50. And with the pressure at its peak, he made an incredible 56-yard field goal. And on the other side, “Money Mack” missed the winning 53-yard field goal with the wind at his back. The kick drifted to the left immediately after the contact, so it did not result in a shot. How amazing it was to see Tucker knock down a 24-yard chip shot for the win.
winner
Charlie Kohler: He could become offensive coordinator Todd Monken’s new favorite receiving weapon. Today, when the Ravens were down by 10 points and facing a gut-check moment, he helped the Ravens cross the field with a 55-yard reception. Kohler finished the day with 64 yards and a touchdown.
Marlon Humphrey: He answered the call with a clutch interception in the final chance to stop the Bengals.
Rashod Bateman: Bateman’s clutch catch on second-and-10 extended the first-half drive and he was rewarded with a wide-open 16-yard touchdown five plays later. Bateman also managed a 9-yard gain in the fourth, giving the Ravens a jump start on their final drive. Instead of settling for 5 yards, he accelerated through two defenders to 9 yards.
Tavious Robinson: Facing third base and first base, the Ravens fielded run-stopping edge defenders in Robinson and Malik Harrison. However, rather than attack directly, they opted to pass, and Robinson swam past two blockers and completed a 7-yard sack on Burrow to drive the Ravens defense off the field.
Nnamdi Madubuike: With persistent pressure throughout the game, Madubuike made a great first down sack on Burrow to put them on the back foot!
Mark Andrews: Welcome back, Mandrews. Raven’s Flock missed you. Andrews had no catches in back-to-back games, but had four receptions for 55 yards.
loser
Tyrann Wallace: A decision not to prevent a punt in the second quarter resulted in two points and a possession for the Bengals, as Bengals defensive end Sam Hubbard cut Henry to safety. But give credit to Wallace, who had two receptions for 31 yards and helped move the chains. They did their best to make up for the mistakes they made in the first half.
Coaching: A terrible mess to end the first half. An unnecessary timeout was called, a third-down conversion failed, and the ball was given back to the Bengals. A wide-open Ja’Marr Chase touchdown and a Nnamdi Madubuike penalty gave the Bengals a two-point try that was successful. A bad decision gave the Bengals the lead.
Pass Defense: The Ravens entered as one of the worst defenses against the pass. He allowed 157 yards and two touchdowns in the first half. The defense entered knowing they had to contain Tee Higgins and Chase. They combined for more than 100 yards and two touchdowns in the first half. In total, they allowed Joe Burrow to throw for 392 yards and five touchdowns. Thankfully, Humphrey’s interception saved them from even more criticism.
Pass rush: Too often Burrow was given ample time to round up the Ravens’ secondary. And while they had three well-timed sacks, there was little pressure. And when the extra expressers came down, they didn’t go home. Fortunately, even if we win this game, we can still watch a lot of tape and learn from it.
Referee: Ravens hosed. Mark Andrews’ face mask was blatantly removed and somehow went unnoticed by officials just a few yards away. Instead of giving the Ravens another down at the Bengals 23-yard line, they had to settle for a 56-yard field goal.
