Ravens vs. Bengals: Full Game Grades for Baltimore
The Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals faced each other in Week 8 for already the second battle this year. The two teams met in Week 1 in a game that saw Cincinnati escape with a 23-16 win.
Needless to say, Baltimore was looking for revenge in this game while also hoping to maintain its lead atop the AFC North.
Baltimore got off to a terrible start in this game, allowing the Bengals to go right down the field on their first drive and get into the end zone.
The Bengals methodically drove down to the 1-yard line, and Andy Dalton scored on a quarterback sneak to put Cincinnati up 7-0.
Baltimore's offense answered with an 18-play, 89-yard drive that saw the offense get down to the Bengals' 1-yard line. After three straight runs didn't get into the end zone, the Ravens went for it on 4th-and-goal, but Joe Flacco underthrew Kamar Aiken to turn the ball over on downs.
Baltimore's defense would stiffen and not allow Cincinnati to score again in the first half. Flacco and the offense would score two field goals to rim the lead to just 7-6 at halftime.
Just like the first half, the Ravens got off to a horrible start once the second half began. Flacco threw a pick to Bengals linebacker Emmanuel Lamur.
The Bengals would convert the turnover into a score after running back Giovani Bernard scored on a one-yard leap into the end zone.
That put Cincinnati up 14-6, but Flacco threw another pick on the ensuing drive, this one being to cornerback Adam Jones. The Ravens defense would stiffen this time, and the Bengals could only muster a field goal.
With Cincinnati up 17-6, Baltimore's offense awoke. A nine-play, 79-yard drive was capped off by rookie running back Lorenzo Taliaferro running 10 yards for a touchdown.
Running back Justin Forsett then ran two yards to convert the two-point conversion and cut the lead to 17-14.
The Bengals responded with a 12-play, 65-yard drive that ended with a 33-yard field goal to stretch their lead to 20-14.
Two drives later with the Bengals again in Baltimore territory, Ravens defensive lineman Haloti Ngata forced Dalton to fumble the ball. Linebacker Daryl Smith recovered it and returned the ball down to the Cincinnati 8-yard line with 6:36 left in the game.
On the ensuing play, Taliaferro scored on an eight-yard TD to give Baltimore its first lead of the game, 21-20.
On the next drive, linebacker C.J. Mosley intercepted Dalton to set the Ravens up for an easy score in Cincinnati territory. However, Baltimore could only muster up a field goal from Justin Tucker to put the Ravens up 24-20.
It looked like the Ravens had control from here, but Cincinnati responded after Dalton hit wide receiver Mohamed Sanu for a 53-yard pass down to the Baltimore 27.
After the Bengals offense got two first downs, it was 1st-and-goal from the 6-yard line.
Baltimore's defense would give up just five yards on three straight plays, leaving Cincinnati with a 4th-and-goal from the 1-yard line.
Cincinnati called a QB sneak, and Dalton powered his way into the end zone for the score to put Cincinnati up 27-24 with 57 seconds left.
The Ravens offense got one last chance, but after two incomplete passes, Flacco fired deep for Steve Smith, and it appeared he scored the game-winning TD, but he was flagged for offensive pass interference.
That left the Ravens with a 3rd-and-20, and after an incomplete pass on third down, Flacco dumped it off to Taliaferro on fourth down, and he was stopped well short of the first-down marker.
That gave Cincinnati the 27-24 win and left the Ravens wondering what could have been.
Here are my grades for each Ravens unit.
Quarterback
1 of 10
Joe Flacco has struggled against the Bengals defense over the past two seasons, and that was the case again this time.
Flacco led the offense to just six points in the first half and then nearly imploded in the third quarter.
That quarter began with Flacco throwing an interception to Bengals linebacker Emmanuel Lamur. The Bengals would convert the turnover into a score after running back Giovani Bernard scored on a one-yard leap into the end zone to put Cincinnati up 14-6.
On the ensuing drive, Flacco threw another interception, this one being to cornerback Adam Jones. The Ravens defense would stiffen this time, and the Bengals could only muster a field goal.
At this point, Cincinnati led 17-6, but Flacco's poor play could have already put the game out of reach if not for the defense playing well to this point.
In the end, Flacco finished the game having completed 17 of 34 passes for 195 yards with two picks, and he was sacked twice.
This was the worst game Flacco has played this year, and it cost the Ravens a win.
Grade: D-
Running Back
2 of 10
The Ravens played from behind most of this game, which led to the running backs only getting 24 combined carries. Justin Forsett led the way with 17 carries for 68 yards.
He also chipped in three catches for 17 yards. Forsett also converted a crucial two-point conversion in the third quarter to cut the deficit to 17-14.
Rookie running back Lorenzo Taliaferro nearly carried the Ravens back from defeat. He scored two touchdowns in the second half, the latter putting Baltimore up 21-20.
He also chipped in two catches for 42 yards. At the end of the day, Baltimore's backs played great when they were called upon, which unfortunately wasn't enough in this game.
Grade: A-
Wide Receiver and Tight End
3 of 10
Steve Smith roasted the Bengals in Week 1 to the tune of seven catches for 118 yards and a touchdown. This time, he was held to three catches for 35 yards, despite being targeted nine times.
Smith was also flagged for offensive pass interference on Baltimore's final drive that killed the Ravens' last chance to win.
Torrey Smith missed much of the game after he left to be evaluated for a concussion. With Steve Smith not doing much and Torrey being out for a while, Kamar Aiken and Michael Campanaro combined for five catches and 55 yards.
At tight end, Baltimore was without its normal starter in Owen Daniels, who missed this game with a knee issue.
Starting in his place was rookie Crockett Gillmore. He managed to catch two balls for 23 yards.
Overall, Baltimore's receivers didn't do a lot in this game, but Joe Flacco having his worst game of the year didn't help, either.
Grade: C-
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Offensive Line
4 of 10
As bad as Joe Flacco and the passing offense did in this game, Baltimore's offensive line played surprisingly well.
It allowed just two sacks, one of which was Flacco holding the ball too long. The Ravens O-line also allowed Flacco to be hit just three times.
It was giving Flacco time, but he just couldn't make enough plays to reward its effort.
The line was also good in run blocking. Baltimore running backs combined to gain 95 yards on 24 carries, an average of 4.0 yards per carry.
This was a good game by the Ravens O-line, but it was overshadowed by the offensive skill players not playing well.
Grade: B+
Defensive Line
5 of 10
The Ravens were once again without starting defensive end Chris Canty. DeAngelo Tyson got the start in his place.
If you only look at the box score, you'd think the Ravens defensive line had a good game. It controlled the line of scrimmage and allowed Bengals running backs to gain just 70 yards on 26 carries.
That's just 2.7 yard per carry, and it shows how dominant the line was for most of the game. However, when the Ravens needed to get a critical stop, the D-line didn't come through.
Three times the Bengals had the ball down at the 1-yard line, including a 4th-and-goal with the game on the line with one minute left in the contest.
All three times, Baltimore surrendered a run up the middle for the score. While it's hard to fault the line for allowing a one-yard score, had it gotten just one stop in any of those three scenarios, we could be talking about a Ravens win.
That said, it was defensive tackle Haloti Ngata's forced fumble in the fourth quarter that gave Baltimore the ball with six minutes left at the Bengals' 8-yard line.
The Ravens would score the go-ahead touchdown on the ensuing play. In the end, the D-line played well, but just not well enough.
Grade: B+
Linebacker
6 of 10
As mentioned before, Baltimore shut down the Cincinnati run game, and the linebackers played a big role in this.
Rookie linebacker C.J. Mosley was all over the field, as he was constantly making a play on the ball-carrier. He finished with 13 tackles, including a game-high eight solo tackles.
That's double what any other player in the game got in terms of solo stops. Mosley was a beast, and he continued to show why he's a candidate for NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year.
Linebacker Daryl Smith also registered 13 tackles, and he recovered a fumbled late in the fourth quarter and returned it down to the Cincinnati 8-yard line.
That set up the go-ahead score for Baltimore to put it up 21-20. On the ensuing drive, Mosley intercepted Andy Dalton and gave Baltimore the ball at the Cincinnati 43.
Baltimore's offense converted that into a field goal. Those two plays by Ravens linebackers almost gave the Ravens the win.
Terrell Suggs had a sack earlier in the game to go with a tackle for loss and QB hit.
This was a great game by the Ravens backers that should not be overlooked because of the loss.
Grade: A
Secondary
7 of 10
Baltimore's secondary was hit with a crucial loss on the game's first drive. Starting cornerback Jimmy Smith was forced from the game with an ankle injury, and he didn't play the rest of the game.
Smith has been a shutdown corner this year for Baltimore, and he was expected to cover Cincinnati's No. 1 receiver, Mohamed Sanu.
With no Smith, Sanu caught five passes for 125 yards, including a 53-yard catch with five minutes left in the game that set up the Bengals' game-winning score.
Baltimore's secondary allowed a Bengals receiving unit of Sanu, Brandon Tate and Greg Little to beat it. Little was signed off the street just two weeks ago, yet he managed to catch three passes for 42 yards, including a crucial one on the Bengals' game-winning drive.
The play of quarterback Joe Flacco and the Ravens secondary is why they lost on Sunday.
Grade: D+
Special Teams
8 of 10
Baltimore's offense played poorly for much of this game, but the defense and special teams kept the Ravens in this one.
Kicker Justin Tucker hit all three of his field goals, including a 53-yarder with 3:59 left to give Baltimore a 24-20 lead.
Punter Sam Koch punted just once, but it was a 50-yarder that helped push Cincinnati's offense back.
The Ravens kickoff-coverage unit was also solid, holding a dangerous returner in Adam Jones to gain just 93 yards on three returns.
Grade: A-
Coaching
9 of 10
The Ravens defense was flat to start this game, allowing the Bengals to score a touchdown on their first offensive series.
From there, Dean Pees would get his defense in sync, as it contained the Bengals offense for most of the game going forward. The defense shut out Cincinnati for the rest of the first half, and the two scores it gave up in the third quarter came on short field after Joe Flacco threw two interceptions.
The Bengals converted those turnovers into 10 points. However, Pees and the defense can be blamed for the game-winning drive they allowed to Cincinnati.
On offense, Gary Kubiak did what he's prone to do when the Ravens trail, and that's call far more passes than runs.
Ravens running backs recorded 24 combined carries. Justin Forsett led the way with 17 carries for 68 yards. Meanwhile, Flacco attempted 34 passes while throwing two interceptions.
The Ravens never trailed by more than 11, and they should have run the ball more against a Bengals defense that came into this game ranked 30th in rushing yards allowed per game (146.3).
Baltimore also committed seven penalties for 51 yards. This was not a good game for the coaches.
Grade: C
Cumulative Grade
10 of 10
Positional Unit | Overall Grade |
QB | D- |
RB | A- |
WR/TE | C- |
OL | B+ |
DL | B+ |
LB | A |
Secondary | D+ |
ST | A- |
Coaching | C |
Cumulative Grade | C |
The Ravens offense is the primary culprit, but the defense did have several chances to stop the Bengals and win the game. In the end, Baltimore can only blame itself for losing a game it should have one, as was the case in Week 1.
The Bengals are an opportunistic team that capitalizes on their opponents' mistakes very well. The Ravens made just enough mistakes in both of their losses to Cincinnati to allow the Bengals to win both matchups.
Baltimore drops to 5-3 and 2-2 in the AFC North and now no longer leads the division. Just like the loss in Week 1, this game could come back to haunt the Ravens.
They'll have to get over this loss quickly, with a prime-time matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday Night Football in Week 9.
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