Bengals Drop Nail-Biter To AFC North Rival Ravens 19-17
The Cincinnati Bengals started slowly per usual in their AFC North matchup with the Ravens but fought back to tie it 10-10 going into the half on the road. Tee Higgins was questionable going into the game and got ruled active but pretty much sat out the entire game after testing his injured ankle in the first quarter. He did not log a catch in the game and didn’t see the field in the second half. Which gave the Ravens a lot more opportunity to key in on Ja’Marr Chase and that led to a slow night for the Pro Bowl wideout.
Both Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow didn’t have stat padding-type nights. They each threw for one touchdown and each had one interception. Jackson had a little over 50 yards on the ground rushing and Burrow had a goal-line rushing TD late in the 4th quarter to give Cincinnati their first lead of the game 17-16. Nonetheless, the Ravens had plenty of time to drive down the field and put one of the greatest kickers of this generation, Justin Tucker in a perfect spot to hit the game-winning kick as time expired. The Ravens pulled out a 19-17 victory.
See you in January. pic.twitter.com/L1TNKGGFsP — Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) October 10, 2022
The good news for the Bengals is that the entire division as a whole isn’t playing particularly well. The Steelers have dropped four games in a row and sit at 1-4, the Browns like the Bengals sit at 2-3, and the Ravens improved to 3-2 with the win and currently sit atop the AFC North.
The Bengals had multiple chances in this game to take control and take advantage. They went for a 4th down late in the 3rd quarter and tried to design a play for Stanley Morgan Jr on an interior pitch which got blown up and never had a chance. Zac Taylor decided to go with the analytical side of the spectrum and unfortunately it didn’t work out. If they elected to kick a field goal then we could be looking at a different outcome to this one. But sometimes that is how the dices roll.
Keep on building. pic.twitter.com/hyiB9LdaKw — Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) October 10, 2022
What’s Next For These AFC North Teams
Baltimore Ravens’ Next Five Games
October 16th, at New York Giants
October 23rd, vs Cleveland Browns
October 27th (Thursday Night), at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
November 7th, at New Orleans Saints
Week 10 – BYE WEEK
The Ravens will have some tests over the next five games. None of these are just rollover wins. However, I would expect the Ravens to be favorites in just about all of these matchups except on the road against Tom Brady and the Bucs.
Cincinnati Bengals’ Next Five Games
October 16th, at New Orleans Saints
October 23rd, vs Atlanta Falcons
October 31st (Monday Night), at Cleveland Browns
November 6th, vs Carolina Panthers
Week 10 – BYE WEEK
This is somewhat the easier stretch of games on the Bengals schedule but they will still need to play better to produce offense and put consistent points on the board. It will be a homecoming-type game for Ja’Marr Chase and Joe Burrow when they head to New Orleans this week after being fan favorites at LSU during their National Title run.