ExtremeRavens Posted November 8 Posted November 8 Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow did all he could in a 35-34 loss to the Ravens on Thursday night, but he’s not blaming the officials for how the game ended. After coughing up a 21-7 third-quarter lead and giving up a go-ahead touchdown pass from Lamar Jackson to Rashod Bateman with just under two minutes left, the Bengals stunningly drove down the field to score a touchdown of their own with 42 seconds left. But instead of kicking the extra point to potentially force overtime, Cincinnati elected to go for two and the lead. It backfired, with Burrow’s pass to tight end Tanner Hudson falling incomplete as the Ravens celebrated a comeback victory that moved them to 7-3 and dropped the Bengals to 4-6 — four games behind the AFC North-leading Pittsburgh Steelers in the loss column and three behind Baltimore. But Cincinnati might have a legitimate gripe with the officiating. On the 2-point attempt, Bengals tight end Mike Gesicki appears to be held by Ravens linebacker Trenton Simpson, preventing him from running a route across the middle. Burrow didn’t look his way, instead throwing a pass to the right that sailed over Hudson’s head. pic.twitter.com/QRTzO8dWMl — 1-1-1-1 (@pahrduve) November 8, 2024 After releasing the ball, Burrow also took a shot to the facemask from the outstretched hand of Ravens defensive tackle Travis Jones as he tried to deflect the pass. Neither play was penalized, which was a mistake in the eyes of Prime Video officiating analyst and former NFL official Terry McAulay. pic.twitter.com/iYkS26a6FL — 1-1-1-1 (@pahrduve) November 8, 2024 “It was clearly defensive holding before the pass was in flight, that should have been called,” McAulay said on the broadcast. “And that does look like forceful contact to the head of the quarterback. That’s a personal [foul]. That’s roughing the passer and should have been called.” When asked about the missed calls after the game, Burrow acknowledged that, on a play that will likely decide the outcome of the game, “you’re not getting those calls in that situation for the most part.” The fifth-year quarterback also appeared to take a few late hits that went unpenalized, including a blindside shot from cornerback Marlon Humphrey that left Burrow wincing on the ground. Those plays hardly seemed to rattle the former No. 1 overall draft pick, as he finished 34-for-56 for 428 yards with four touchdown passes. “I feel like I’ve never really gotten those calls, so I don’t really expect that,” Burrow said. “I feel like there were a couple that were close, but I don’t really expect those.” It’s also worth noting that the Bengals benefitted from Ravens penalties all night, including on the final drive. Humphrey was called for grabbing the facemask, defensive tackle Broderick Washington was flagged for roughing the passer and outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy jumped offside on a span of four plays in the final minute, while a defensive holding call on Brandon Stephens and a pass-interference flag on Nate Wiggins extended a pair of Bengals drives in the first quarter. Baltimore finished with 11 penalties for 81 yards. Still, the loss continues a tough season for the Bengals, who are on the outside of the playoff race despite having Burrow and wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase playing as well as they ever have in their careers. Chase had 11 catches for 264 yards and three touchdowns Thursday, giving him an NFL-record 457 receiving yards in two games against Baltimore this season. Burrow has thrown for 820 yards and nine touchdowns in the two meetings and is tied with Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson for the league lead in touchdown passes (24). But, despite holding a double-digit lead in the second half of both matchups, the Bengals were swept by their division rivals after a 41-38 defeat in overtime in Week 5. “It’s sickening that this has happened twice to us,” Cincinnati coach Zac Taylor said of the two collapses. “We got to find a way to close out these games.” Have a news tip? Contact sports editor C.J. Doon at cdoon@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/CJDoon. Ravens beat the Bengals 35-34 | PHOTOS View the full article Quote
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