Bengals @ Ravens
Final Score: Ravens 19, Bengals 17
Writer: Brett Ford (@fadethatman on Twitter)
Baltimore’s defense looked good for the first time since week one. The same unit that made Tua Tagovailoa look like Dan Marino made the defending AFC Champions’ offense look relatively pedestrian, holding the Bengals to just 17 points.
The Ravens’ offense looked slightly out of sync, but stayed true to themselves with a narrow distribution of touches, allowing their playmakers to make plays. Mark Andrews and the team’s top wide receiver with Rashod Bateman out, Devin Duvernay, each had solid nights from a fantasy perspective, despite the Baltimore offense mustering just one touchdown.
On the Bengals side of the ball, the offense was relatively quiet with Hayden Hurst being the only Cincinnati player to outperform expectations in this one. The Bengal defense played well for much of the game but couldn’t make the one big play when it mattered, allowing Lamar Jackson and the Ravens to drive late in the game for the game-winning field goal.
Let’s dig in.
Cincinnati Bengals
Quarterback
Joe Burrow: 24/35, 217 Yards, TD, INT | 3 Carries, 6 Yards, TD
Joe Burrow wasn’t great, but I don’t necessarily blame him. He was sacked twice and hurried frequently as his offensive line struggled to hold off the Ravens’ front four, especially in the first half. The Ravens sat back in a zone for most of the game, forcing several check downs to Samaje Perine and Joe Mixon while not allowing Ja’Maar Chase to hit any deep plays for chunk yardage as he did against the Ravens a season ago. He also made a mistake in the third quarter that resulted in an interception, not identifying Ravens linebacker Patrick Queen as he feigned a blitz and dropped into coverage underneath a slant.
QUEEN OF THE NORTH 👑@Patrickqueen_ gets the INT
Tune in on NBC! pic.twitter.com/UE70JpaxQc— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) October 10, 2022
Burrow did manage to salvage his night from a fantasy perspective with a one-yard rushing touchdown on the Bengals’ final offensive play of the evening.
Joe Burrow is IN for the touchdown 🚨
The Bengals take a 17-16 lead.
🎥: @NFL | #CINvsBAL pic.twitter.com/F7ZBSQdHKg
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) October 10, 2022
Running Back
Joe Mixon: 14 Carries, 78 Yards | 3 Targets, 3 Receptions, 10 Yards
Samaje Perine: 3 Carries, 17 Yards | 4 Targets, 4 Receptions, 39 Yards
Joe Mixon is the 1997 Toyota Camry in your dad’s garage that he’s driven to work every day for years and refuses to replace because it’s just so gosh darn reliable. He toted the ball 14 times for 78 yards and caught three passes for 10 yards but did not find the end zone because Zac Taylor big-brained his team’s third-quarter goal-line opportunity. On first and goal from the two-yard line, Taylor called three consecutive passes, including a “Cincy Special” which resulted in wide receiver Tyler Boyd taking a 12-yard sack. Of the Bengals’ five snaps inside the five-yard line, Mixon touched the ball once. Frustrating.
THE JUICEMAN!!!
Tune in on NBC! pic.twitter.com/WRmB5jE68d
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) October 10, 2022
Samaje Perine made the most of his limited opportunities with 5.7 yards per carry and four catches for 39 yards on four targets. From a fantasy perspective, he would be an automatic pickup if Mixon were to miss time, but until then there are other higher-ceiling players I’d rather hold on my bench.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Ja’Marr Chase: 1 Carry | 12 Targets, 7 Receptions, 50 Yards
Tyler Boyd: 4 Targets, 3 Receptions, 32 Yards
Hayden Hurst: 7 Targets, 6 Receptions, 53 Yards, TD
Mike Thomas: 3 Targets, 1 Reception, 33 Yards
It was revealed at halftime that Tee Higgins was suffering from an ankle injury entering the game. He “aggravated” it and sat after the first few Bengals drives. Not sure if he actually aggravated his ankle or not… but he definitely aggravated his fantasy managers. He’s been better than his counterpart Ja’Maar Chase so far this season (which I predicted) and has thrashed this Ravens’ defense in the past but didn’t get the chance tonight. There was nothing from the Bengals beat reporters leading up to this game that Higgins would be limited, but he looked to be moving gingerly in warm-ups. Definitely something to monitor entering week six and beyond.
One would think that without Higgins in the game, Chase would feast. Unfortunately for his fantasy managers, Ja’Marr Chase wasn’t as productive as he usually is, especially in the absence of Higgins. Chase was used in short yardage, a lot of quick throws, and completions in the flats as his first five receptions accounted for just 11 receiving yards. Burrow targeted his top receiver a team-high 12 times but connected for just seven completions. The longest play came late in the game, as Burrow left a back-shoulder throw “high and inside,” but Chase went and got it to convert a massive third down in the red zone.
Hayden Hurst pulled in six of his seven targets for a team-high 53 yards and a score. The former Ravens’ first-round draft pick showed why the Ravens took him a round ahead of Mark Andrews in the 2018 draft, flashing the hands and athleticism that Baltimore hoped they were getting four years ago.
HAYDEN HURST REVENGE GAME 🐅😈 pic.twitter.com/fqeyIfXInp
— PFF CIN Bengals (@PFF_Bengals) October 10, 2022
Baltimore Ravens
Quarterback
Lamar Jackson: 19/32, 174 Yards, TD, INT | 12 Carries, 58 Yards
Lamar Jackson was off by a step on Sunday night. On multiple occasions, he overthrew his intended target, including a pair of would-have-been touchdowns – one to Devin Duvernay and one to Tylan Wallace on the same series. His most egregious overthrow resulted in an interception that turned the tide of the game in the first half, setting the Bengals up for a touchdown drive in the first half.
Lamar Jackson misses a wide open TD to Tylan Wallace #RavensFlock pic.twitter.com/L6S9cdtgfx
— Pro Football Culture (@proftblculture) October 10, 2022
Bengal defensive ends Sam Hubbard and Trey Hendrickson did an excellent job holding the edge and containing Jackson on the scramble. He was limited to just 58 rushing yards, nearly all of them coming on designed runs as opposed to broken passing plays. But, come on, he’s Lamar Jackson.
How do you beat the blitz? Two words:
LAMAR JACKSON 🗣 pic.twitter.com/0VALy9xhA9
— PFF BAL Ravens (@PFF_Ravens) October 10, 2022
Running Back
J.K. Dobbins: 8 Carries, 44 Yards
Kenyan Drake: 4 Carries, 26 Yards | 1 Target, 1 Reception, 1 Yard
Mike Davis: 1 Carry, 3 Yards
All-pro left tackle Ronnie Stanley made his season debut, returning from a season-ending ACL injury a year ago, but was very clearly on a limited snap count. The Ravens’ best successes in the run game came running to that left side, either behind Stanley or Patrick Mekari. On several instances, Baltimore pulled their right tackle and led with two 300-pound blockers (right tackle Morgan Moses and fullback Patrick Ricard) to clear the way for either J.K. Dobbins, Kenyan Drake, or in some cases this evening Devin Duvernay. They gashed the Bengals multiple times on this specific play design.
Even with Justice Hill out, J.K. Dobbins was limited to just eight carries while Kenyan Drake poached four and Duvernay carried three times. Mike Davis got involved with one carry as well. It appears the Ravens are not quite ready to take the training wheels off of Dobbins and will continue to limit his snap counts moving forward.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Devin Duvernay: 3 Carries, 24 Yards | 7 Targets, 5 Receptions, 54 Yards | 1 Fumble (Recovered)
Mark Andrews: 10 Targets, 8 Receptions, 89 Yards, TD
Demarcus Robinson: 2 Targets, 1 Reception, 8 Yards
Tylan Wallace: 2 Targets, 1 Reception, 8 Yards
James Proche II: 2 Targets, 1 Reception, 7 Yards
Isaiah Likely: 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 7 Yards
How Mark Andrews continues to get single coverage is a mystery to me. He is the Ravens’ best pass catcher and Lamar Jackson’s favorite target and literally everybody in the entire stadium knows where Lamar is looking first when he drops back – and yet Andrews still catches eight passes for 89 yards and a score.
Money Mark 💰@Mandrews_81 | Tune in on NBC! pic.twitter.com/Kx1UFI5rmA
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) October 10, 2022
Devin Duvernay was used in a Deebo Samuel-esque role including a pitch around the left side and what looked like it may have been a designed jet sweep (fumbled snap and scooped by Duvernay in the backfield for a good gain around the edge). Even with Rashod Bateman out, I was not expecting Devin Duvernay to receive the workload that he did on Sunday night. But he impressed with a combined 78 yards on eight touches. He was targeted seven times for a near-30% target share, second on the team only to Andrews.
Isaiah Likely was targeted twice, including once on a designed swing pass on a crucial 3rd and 5 in the red zone. The Ravens like his athleticism, especially when they can create a mismatch with a linebacker, but still have yet to fully unleash their rookie tight end.