The Baltimore Ravens put together an impressive performance to shut out the Cincinnati Bengals.
The Baltimore Ravens took on the Cincinnati Bengals in a must-win battle on Sunday, and the Ravens came through in a big way.
After the usual slow start, Baltimore got things going in the second quarter with huge momentum and a momentum-pushing touchdown. A big 14-yard run from Lamar Jackson led to a 32-yard bomb to DeAndre Hopkins, and a 30-yard dart to Rasheen Ali put the team on the board.
Jackson began to settle into his groove, throwing big yards to Zay Flowers, who propelled the team to a 14-0 lead in the second quarter.
The third quarter was a bit slow for the Ravens and brought some concerning injuries. Chidobe Awuzie was hurt, suffering a foot injury that led to him being ruled out.
The Ravens only scored a field goal, but the defense continued to tighten, stopping the Bengals from a fourth-down pickup.
The Bengals' defense continued to get after Jackson, picking up four sacks on the day. Despite some struggles on the offense at times, the Ravens moved the ball well.
Baltimore's defense is what stood out, as they also obtained three sacks against Joe Burrow, including stopping two fourth-down attempts from the Bengals.
In the fourth quarter, Ravens star linebacker Kyle Van Noy intercepted the ball from a Burrow pass, and he handed the ball to safety Alohi Gilman, who took the ball all the way down for the score.
The Ravens led 24-0 in the fourth, and the defense tightened up once again to stop the Bengals' march downfield.
During the fourth quarter, Marlon Humphrey suffered an injury that led to him being questionable. The good news for the Ravens was that Humphrey returned to the game and was able to stop a touchdown from Burrow.
All in all, the Ravens played a good brand of football. Despite their usual slow start and soft coverage in the beginning, the defense tightened up, and the Ravens leaned on Derrick Henry for some big gains to save their season.
The Ravens are now 7-7, and a half game behind the first-place Pittsburgh Steelers. If the Steelers lose on Monday night, Baltimore will be back in first.