The Ravens’ offense flexed their passing game with an explosive, efficient second half, while the defense allowed Cincinnati to do the same while making just enough plays to win the game.
Offense
Quarterback: A-
If Evan McPherson makes a 53-yard field goal, Lamar Jackson’s overtime fumble is the biggest topic on Monday morning. Instead, the talking heads were declaring Jackson the favorite for his third MVP. He left some throws on the field in the first half, and even his best play of the day started with a mistake. However, no other quarterback could have made that play, and no other quarterback could have won that game. Jackson did both, with style, confidence, and poise in a brilliant second half that kept pace with an explosive Bengals offense. He punished the blitz and limited negative plays with his arm and his legs, racking up 403 yards from scrimmage in his yet another elite performance.
Running backs: B+
Derrick Henry struggled to get a foothold in the first half, leading to a Justice Hill-heavy second half with the Ravens moving quickly on offense. Hill wasn’t as impactful as a receiver, but he did convert multiple third downs on the ground and held his own in pass protection against the Bengals’ blitzes. Henry may not have bludgeoned the defense as consistently as the last two weeks, but he was fresh and ready for overtime with a game-sealing 51-yard run.
Wide receivers: A
Sunday may have been the best performance by a receiver group in Jackson’s career. Zay Flowers was a key answer to the blitz, making plays all over the field on his way to a career-high 111 yards. Rashod Bateman’s work to establish a rapport with Jackson is finally bearing fruit: the duo moved the chains on third down on three of Bateman’s four catches, including a second-quarter touchdown. Tylan Wallace had the strongest offensive performance of his career, converting first downs on both of his receptions and laying a key block to spring Henry loose in overtime. The only disappointment was Nelson Agholor, who continued his slow start this season with just one catch on four targets as he attempts to recapture his rapport with Jackson from 2023.
Tight Ends: A
The Ravens revolutionized the dual-threat quarterback with Jackson, and now they’re doing it at the tight end position with a trio of hard-nosed blockers who can make plays downfield. Reports of Mark Andrews’ demise were greatly exaggerated, as he recorded 55 receiving yards with his familiar combination of crafty route-running and strong runs after the catch. Isaiah Likely hasn’t recaptured his Week 1 explosiveness, but his red zone rapport with Jackson is near-impossible to stop. Calling for a jump ball between two defenders takes some serious confidence – on both ends – but Likely has lived up to his name when it comes to winning 50/50 balls this year. Charlie Kolar was the real treat on Sunday, rumbling for a 55-yard catch, uncovering in the end zone for a 2-yard touchdown, and even converting a fourth down from under center. Patrick Ricard couldn’t pick up Sam Hubbard in time on the Ravens’ safety and watched most of the second half from the sidelines, but he made a key block on the fly to open the space for Henry’s overtime rumble.
Offensive Line: B
On tape, Ronnie Stanley held his own against Trey Hendrickson in one of the game’s marquee matchups, and Patrick Mekari held up at left guard for the second straight game. Tyler Linderbaum needs to fix his snap miscommunications with Jackson, but he was lights-out in pass protection as the Ravens came back in the second half. The weakness was once against the right side, where Sam Hubbard found success against Daniel Faalele and Roger Rosengarten, including on an apparent missed assignment leading to Baltimore’s safety. Still, credit to the big guys for hauling their way up and down their field in the up-tempo second half on a surprisingly hot day in Cincinnati. They adjusted well to the Bengals’ blitzes as the game went on and ensure they wouldn’t be the reason the Ravens lost the game.
Defense
Defensive line: B+
Nnamdi Madubuike led the defensive line with a game-wrecking performance up the middle, stuffing the run and consistently collapsing the pocket on Joe Burrow. Travis Jones didn’t make many plays himself, but he was a black hole in the trenches, eating space and blockers to open opportunities for his linebackers. The rest of the defensive line did their jobs, especially against the run, but struggled to make splash plays against Burrow’s decisive quick passes. Their biggest moment came in overtime, stuffing three straight runs to set up McPherson’s missed field goal that gave Baltimore another chance to win the game.
Edge rushers: C+
Odafe Oweh has his least impactful game of the year, struggling against the run and failing to consistently beat Orlando Brown Jr. on Burrow’s blind side. The Bengals also threw plenty of chips at Kyle Van Noy to slow him down, while Yannick Ngakoue and David Ojabo flashed in limited roles. Tavius Robinson finally started to deliver on his promising training camp with a crucial third down sack, but the edge rushing group’s overall effectiveness was hampered by a lack of quick wins off the snap to force Burrow into even faster decisions.
Inside linebackers: B+
Roquan Smith had his best game of the year, mauling the run and looking much sharper in coverage over the middle of the field. Trenton Simpson held up with an increased snap count, flashing as a blitzer and stepping up against the run. He is still getting comfortable in coverage, but his tackling after the catch was among the best on the team. Malik Harrison continued to struggle, failing to get off a block that led to Ja’Marr Chase’s catch-and-run touchdown.
Cornerbacks: C
Marlon Humphrey was responsible for Chase’s deep second-quarter touchdown, but he tightened up as the game went on leading up to his huge fourth-quarter interception. Brandon Stephens was consistently beat at the catch point by Chase and Tee Higgins, as was Nate Wiggins, resulting on a lower snap count for the rookie as the game went on. Overall, this unit struggled in their individual matchups and couldn’t get the press wins required to disrupt the Bengals’ rhythm through the air.
Safeties: C-
Kyle Hamilton salvaged this group’s grade with another impressive performance impacting the Bengals in all facets of the game. He was all over the field as usual, but the same can’t be said of Marcus Williams and Eddie Jackson, who struggled to cover and tackle downfield. There were too many miscommunications and missed assignments on the back end, and a large share of that responsibility falls on subpar safety play. Ar’Darius Washington was not as impactful as recent weeks, but Baltimore’s struggles at safety should still give him more opportunity in future weeks.