The Ravens dominated the Bengals on Sunday in a 24-0 shutout win that eliminates Cincinnati from the playoffs and keeps Baltimore in the hunt for the AFC North crown. Here are the instant reactions from Baltimore Beatdown’s
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Even in your wildest dreams, you probably weren’t expecting the Ravens to hand Joe Burrow the first shutout of his professional career on Sunday afternoon. But they did, and then added seven points of their own. Defensive coordinator Zach Orr deserves credit for an excellent game plan that got plenty of pressure on Joe Burrow and motivating his team to dominate the Bengals physically. The offense had their stumbles and bumps, but fewer and less significant than normal. Crucially, Lamar Jackson is looking better and better each week, and Monken (mostly) leaned on the running game against a bad defense. Finally, the Ravens showed what they’re capable of. Nikhil Mehta
It’s hard to remember a better performance from the Ravens’ defense over the past two years. In a must win game, against an offense that’s given them serious issues, Zach Orr and the defense delivered a masterful performance, shutting out a prolific Bengals offense. The pass rush looked the best it has all year which led to some big turnovers, including the incredible interception by Kyle Van Noy who handed it to Alohi Gilman for a 95-yard TD. Offensively, the Ravens showed flashes of greatness but once again some strange play calling thwarted what could’ve been an even bigger scoring output. This is a step in the right direction but they will need to take it to another level with the New England Patriots coming to town in another do or die game. – Stephen Bopst
Holy crap, what a game. This is by far the most complete game the Ravens have played all season. Shutting out the Joe Burrow led Bengals offense is nothing to scoff at. Lamar Jackson threw the ball well, all three running backs got touches and looked great, Zay Flowers had 68 yards on just three catches. Outside of the first quarter, the offense resembled something functional for once.
And the defense was absolutely nails. Two interceptions, three sacks, and zero points allowed. The Ravens stole the will from the Bengals if their last drive was any indication. Exactly the win you needed to bounce back after dropping back-to-back division games. – Zach Canter
What a breath of fresh air. The defense turned back the clock with a truly stellar performance, shutting out Joe Burrow and a Bengals offense that have tormented them in the past. Alohi Gilman, Dre’Mont Jones, and Travis Jones all played tremendously, and credit is due to Kyle Van Noy for the savvy handoff to Gilman on the pick-six.
For the offense, the formula was simple. RUN. THE. BALL. After overcoming a shaky start, Todd Monken realized this was the key and unleashed Derrick Henry and Keaton Mitchell to stretch a weak Bengals defense. Lamar Jackson looked the best he has looked since returning from injury, and the Ravens earned a crucial win to get back to .500. Hopefully the Dolphins can stay hot and give them some help against the Steelers tomorrow night. – Mark Myers
The Ravens could not have answered any better with their season on the line. While the offense did its part, Zach Orr’s defense deserves a ton of credit for this performance. Joe Burrow was under constant pressure throughout the game from Baltimore’s pass rush. The secondary did an effective job of keeping a lid on the passing game while rallying to tackle to prevent yards after the catch. It is hard to overstate how impressive shutting a team out with Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase is in today’s NFL. On offense, Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry looked about as good as they have in months. If the Ravens can lean on the running game and strong defense as the weather gets colder, then they will have a shot of making some noise if they can get into the playoffs in a wide-open AFC. – Dustin Cox
