Joe Burrow, Bengals Offense Criticized for Failing to Put Ravens Away in Tight Win

The Cincinnati Bengals outlasted the Baltimore Ravens 24-17 in Sunday night's AFC Wild Card Game. While a gritty contest between AFC North rivals is hardly a surprise, it appeared that the Bengals didn't perform at their best on offense despite the victory.

Cincinnati star quarterback Joe Burrow threw for 209 yards and a touchdown while adding a rushing score. He was sacked four times and surprisingly outgained by Ravens starter Tyler Huntley, who threw for 226 yards, two touchdowns and an interception and ran for 54 yards. Cincinnati totaled just 51 rushing yards in the win.

The biggest play of the game came on the defensive side of the ball for the Bengals, as defensive end Sam Hubbard returned a fumble by Huntley 98 yards to the end zone for the go-ahead touchdown early in the fourth quarter.

Cincinnati's defense continued to make plays down the stretch, but Burrow and the offense couldn't create some separation to put the Ravens away.

The Bengals faced some criticism from NFL Twitter for their offensive woes in the late stages of Sunday's game:

Sunday's win creates a marquee AFC divisional round matchup between the Bengals and the Buffalo Bills. Cincinnati's offense will need to be efficient to keep up with the high-powered Buffalo unit.

Burrow and the Bengals will surely be looking for a better showing as they continue on their quest to defend their AFC championship.