Ravens Team Grades Week 12: Ravens Defeat Bengals In AFC North Match-up
The Baltimore Ravens earned a much-needed 19-14 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday afternoon to remain atop of the AFC North. The Ravens snapped a five-game losing streak to the Bengals, which gives them a 21-20 edge in the all-time series. Prior to Sunday, Baltimore hadn't beaten Cincinnati in three years, dating back to November 10, 2013.
The Ravens (6-5) jumped out to a 10-0 lead and controlled most of the game. They took a 16-3 lead into halftime on the strength of Justin Tucker's leg and a solid defense that limited the Bengals to 115 total yards in the first half. The Ravens' offense sputtered in the second half, particularly after increasing their lead to 19-9 early in the fourth quarter on Tucker's fourth field goal.
Offense: D
The Ravens' first drive was a thing of beauty. Quarterback Joe Flacco completed five-of-six passes for 50 yards and ended the drive with a 14-yard touchdown pass to Breshad Perriman in the back of the end zone. The 11-play, 75-yard drive marked the Ravens first opening series score since October 16 against the New York Giants.
Following a Devin Hester 28-yard punt return to the Bengals 36 yard line, Flacco drove the Ravens to the nine yard line. But, Flacco took a bad 10-yard sack on third and goal. Then, veteran wide receiver Steve Smith Sr. committed an unnecessary roughness penalty following the play that backed them up even further. Still, the Ravens put points on the board, as Tucker booted a 52-yard field goal attempt through the uprights.
The offense didn't do much in the second half, especially on last three possessions -- netting 16 yards of total offense. The Ravens accumulated five first downs and 101 total yards in the second half.
Flacco completed 25 passes for 234 yards with one touchdown and one interception. He spread the ball around nicely as nine different receivers had at least one catch. The Ravens also ran the ball well with Terrence West and Kenneth Dixon combining for 97 yards on 26 attempts.
The Ravens offensive line permitted two sacks and seven negative yardage plays.
Defense: B+
The Ravens' defense was terrific when they needed to be. The Ravens permitted the injury-ridden Bengals to accumulate 325 total yards as tight end Tyler Eifert had a fairly big day, hauling in five passes for 65 yards and a touchdown. They did hold the Bengals to one touchdown and two field goals in five trips into the red zone.
The Ravens also limited the Bengals to 60 yards on the ground and forced two turnovers. They recorded three sacks, two by linebacker Terrell Suggs and one by linebacker Elvis Dumervil, along with nine pass defensed. Dumervil, in his first game back after missing the previous five contests, came up with the play of the game by stripping quarterback Andy Dalton of the ball after Dalton marched the Bengals down to the Ravens 16 yard line late in the fourth quarter. Ravens defensive end Lawrence Guy recovered the ball at the 21 with 1:05 remaining. The Ravens also batted down four passes during the Bengals final drive.
Special Teams: A-
The Ravens would not be leading the North division if not for Tucker. Tucker became the ninth player to make at least three 50-yard field goals in one half, when he accomplished the feat in the first half (52, 57, 54). Tucker, 27-for-27 on field goal attempts, added a 36-yarder in the final stanza. Tucker, who normally boots his kickoffs through the end zone, had four kicks returned for a 25.5 yard average.
Punter Sam Koch did a fantastic job, pinning the Bengals inside the 20 on four of his five kicks. Koch also did a great job running out the clock, before taking a safety, on the last play of the game.
Hester's punt return set up the Bengals first field goal. He did make a mistake in bringing out a kick despite it being five yards deep in the end zone. He also fumbled a return once again.
Coaching: B+
The offensive and defensive game plans were solid in the first half. Coach John Harbaugh's call to have Koch run out the clock by running around the end zone while having his blockers intentionally hold the Bengals rushers was pure genius.
Up Next:
The Ravens will play its fourth home game in five weeks when they host the Miami Dolphins (7-4) on December 4. With the victory over the Bengals, the Ravens improved to 4-2 at M&T Bank Stadium.
