The Ravens dropped to 4-3 with their second loss in a row to a divisional opponent in Week 7. There is plenty of blame to share after Baltimore was outscored 35-0 in the second half by the Bengals, but still a few positive performances to highlight. Let’s get into the winners and losers from Sunday’s game:
Winners
Zay Flowers: Flowers’ monster season continued on Sunday as the Bengals seemingly had no answers for stopping the Ravens’ top receiver. Flowers’ first catch of the day went for a 48-yard touchdown
on a screen pass on the opening drive. He added another 89 yards on seven more catches throughout the rest of the game, finishing the day with eight receptions for 137 yards and a touchdown. Flowers’ production should only increase once Lamar Jackson is back under center.
K’Von Wallace: Wallace played 17 snaps on Sunday with Jaylinn Hawkins out with a knee injury. While his day was not perfect, the veteran safety made enough plays to stand out. Wallace ended Cincinnati’s second drive of the game with a pressure on Joe Burrow that forced an incompletion on second down and a tackle on Chase Brown short of the sticks on third down. Wallace then forced a fumble on a kickoff return, but the Bengals were able to retain possession of the ball. Wallace could make the decision to go back to Hawkins a difficult one if he can continue to make plays in his absence.
Cam Jurgens: Jurgens made his debut for Baltimore in Week 7 and appeared to provide a stable presence at center after much turnover at the position to this point. According to PFF, Jurgens allowed just one pressure against Cincinnati. Vega Ioane unfortunately left the game early on with a knee injury after moving back to right guard, so the Ravens are still waiting to see their projected starting offensive line play together for any significant stretch of time.
Travis Jones: Jones finished the game tied for the team lead in pressures with three, according to PFF. He has had a tackle for loss on a run play.
Losers
Tyler Huntley: Huntley came out of the gate hot against the Bengals, leading to a 13-0 lead heading into halftime. The second half was a completely different story for the backup quarterback as the offense struggled to move the ball, failing to score another point for the remainder of the game. Following a touchdown that put Cincinnati up 28-13 in the fourth quarter, Huntley threw an interception on the first play of Baltimore’s drive. The Bengals capitalized on Huntley’s error with another touchdown on a short field to go up 35-13 with just over six minutes remaining. For as admirable as Huntley is in a pinch, the Ravens desperately need their MVP quarterback back under center.
Roger Rosengarten: Rosengarten was beaten cleanly by Boye Mafe for a sack on third down on Baltimore’s second drive of the game. He was later flagged for a false start on another third down.
John Simpson: Simpson allowed a team-high four pressures while also being flagged for holding on a play where Huntley ran for seven yards to move the chains on third down.
Derrick Henry: Through a combination of factors, the usually dominant Hall-of-Fame back has struggled in several games this season. Henry was held to just 45 yards and 17 carries against Cincinnati — a measly 2.6 yards per carry. Blocking has been an issue, as Henry has been hit near the line of scrimmage too often, but it is fair to wonder if age is finally becoming a factor for the 32-year-old workhorse. Over the past two games against divisional opponents, Henry has been held to 103 total rushing yards while being kept out of the end zone.
Kyle Hamilton: It feels wrong to ever put Hamilton in this section, but his play on Sunday left a lot to be desired. Hamilton missed three tackles, including on a touchdown run where he had a chance to stop Samaje Perine in the backfield. He was also credited by PFF with giving up a touchdown to Tee Higgins, though it’s hard to know what his responsibility was on the play.
Marlon Humphrey: Humphrey, one of the longest-tenured players on the team, has been a source of scrutiny over the years, due to both on- and off-field behavior. According to PFF, Humphrey allowed 60 yards on three receptions while missing two tackles. The veteran cornerback has now allowed the most receiving yards in the fourth quarter this season with 176, according to Next Gen Stats.
Nate Wiggins: Wiggins struggled against the Bengals as well, allowing 80 yards and a touchdown on six catches while also being flagged for defensive holding, though the penalty was declined.
Jesse Minter / Anthony Weaver: While a large portion of the blame deserves to fall on the players, as the trend of defensive meltdowns has now lasted through multiple defensive coordinators and two head coaches, Minter and Weaver still have to face criticism as well for their unit’s horrendous second-half performance on Sunday. Minter’s decision to go for it on fourth down from the 12-yard line while trailing 14-13 instead of going up 16-14 with a field goal has been questioned, but it ultimately proved to be the right decision, as his defense was unable to stop Cincinnati’s offense from scoring touchdowns on the following three drives.
Declan Doyle: For all the good Doyle has done in his first season calling plays at the NFL level, he still has room to grow. The Ravens’ offense has been shut out in the second half of the past two games after strong starts in the first two quarters. Doyle has yet to figure out a consistently effective approach to short-yardage situations either. It feels harsh to judge Doyle too much without Jackson at quarterback, but he still has to be better at adjusting once opposing defenses begin to catch up in games.
