CINCINNATI — Soon after the Ravens had beaten the Bengals, Baltimore coach John Harbaugh declared that it was the team’s most complete game of the season.
How do you take that?
It was indeed the Ravens’ best game of the season, their first shutout since 2018, but it came against the Bengals, who have the worst defense in the NFL.
So, which one is it?
It’s either the glass is half full or half empty. Let’s quickly settle the dispute and reach this conclusion: the Ravens won, and are now 7-7 with most of the eyes in Baltimore focused on Monday night’s game with Pittsburgh hosting the Miami Dolphins.
And the Ravens showed some passion. Finally.
In several ways, the Ravens did improve. They rushed for 189 yards on 24 carries as Derrick Henry had 11 carries for 100 yards and change-of-pace back Keaton Mitchell had eight attempts for 66 yards and came close to breaking two long runs.
There is still doubt about what has taken offensive coordinator Todd Monken so long to get Mitchell into the mix, but at least the Ravens played to their strengths as opposed to having pass protection problems.
The wide receivers seemed interested, and quarterback Lamar Jackson did enough to spread the ball around. Four receivers had receptions, including a perfectly lofted pass from Jackson over two defenders to slot receiver Zay Flowers, which resulted in a 28-yard touchdown pass late in the first half. A 30-yard checkdown from Jackson to Rasheen Ali resulted in a touchdown from the right flat about four minutes earlier.
And that Ravens defense? Oh my.
They sacked quarterback Joe Burrow three times and hit him on 10 other occasions. Cincinnati’s offensive tackles are terrible, but there is no complaining at this point. Baltimore even made tackles on the back end. Safeties Alohi Gilman and Kyle Hamilton and cornerback Nate Wiggins each finished with eight.
That’s not a misprint. Wiggins had eight.
But even more than the improved tackling, the Ravens’ ability to at least keep track of Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase showed that they had a tough guy attitude. They haven’t had it all year.
There were some borderline cheap shots and late hits on Burrow, but there were no penalties. Until the referees call one, stay the course and keep banging Burrow. There was left tackle Ronnie Stanley going after defensive end Joseph Ossai on what Stanley perceived as a cheap shot on Jackson in the third quarter.
Football is about tackling, blocking and execution, but also about fights, emotion and passion. That’s what has been missing from this team. They need more tough guys, more players with that “crazed dog” personality that former New York Giants and Hall of Fame outside linebacker Lawrence Taylor used to talk about.
“I think we’re pissed off we lost to them the first time, I’m not going to lie,” said Gilman, who helped return an interception by Kyle Van Noy for an 84-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter. “So, that’s kind of where I came from. But at the end of the day, it’s about us. It’s about our defense, it’s about our team. December football, that’s what we preached. How can we get better in December and be the best, be at our peak?”
That’s a goal, and it’s realistic, but it was the Bengals. They are a sorry bunch. Paycor Stadium was half-filled, and there was no excitement or any buzz in the stadium. In fact, once the Ravens got a 14-0 lead at halftime, this game was virtually over.
Earlier on Wednesday leading up to the game, Burrow was quoted as saying that he was not having fun playing football. That came days after the Bengals lost, 39-34, to Buffalo.
So much for inspiring your teammates.
As for the Ravens, the offense had moments, but it wasn’t as if they dominated Cincinnati for four quarters. Of their two scoring drives, one was for 79 yards on five plays and the other was five plays for 80 yards.
That’s it, folks.
Baltimore had 317 yards of total offense compared with 298 for Cincinnati. Quarterback Lamar Jackson completed 8 of 12 passes for 150 yards, and the touchdown pass he threw to Flowers was his best of the season. He also had a 12-yard run around the left end in which he looked like the Jackson of old.
But Jackson was also sacked four times and again looked indecisive as far as running or throwing the ball. He took one sack in the last minute of the third quarter where he had both center Tyler Linderbaum and right guard Daniel Faalele out in front of him, but he held the ball and was eventually sacked by rookie linebacker Demetrius Knight Jr.
There were a lot of highs and lows in this game, and you came away wondering whether this team really got its act together Sunday in Cincinnati.
They had a running game. They had a pass rush. Players in the secondary actually made tackles, and kept everything in front of them.
Yet at the same time, it was the Bengals. If the Ravens didn’t have five turnovers, they probably would have beaten them on Thanksgiving night. Maybe this was a turning point for the Ravens or maybe both teams should be banned by the NFL from making the postseason.
Regardless, it was the best game the Ravens have played this season.
“That is our identity, and we have been playing that way,” Harbaugh said. “We’ve been playing with physicality. To see it come together with some fruits of our labor, it was really good to see today. But yes, that’s a big part of December football.”
We will see.
Have a news tip? Contact Mike Preston at epreston@baltsun.com, 410-332-6467 and x.com/MikePrestonSun.