ExtremeRavens Posted yesterday at 06:17 AM Posted yesterday at 06:17 AM Here’s how the Ravens graded out at every position in their 32-14 loss to the Bengals: Quarterback Lamar Jackson missed a lot of wide-open receivers. There were misses on short passes as well as long ones, including a deep throw to Rashod Bateman late in the second quarter. There were times when Jackson couldn’t even complete a screen pass in the left flat because the ball sailed into the ground. Jackson’s scrambling was better, and he had several successful runs. But overall, not a strong game for the two-time NFL Most Valuable Player, who has struggled for the past four games. His fumble in the second quarter also cost the Ravens a field goal. Baltimore’s star quarterback completed 17 of 32 passes for 246 yards and finished with a passer rating of 65.4. His one interception in the fourth quarter stalled a Ravens drive at the Bengals’ 15. He misfired on several passes to Zay Flowers, too. Grade: D Running backs Derrick Henry had a 28-yard touchdown run in the first quarter but had only five carries in the first half for 33 yards. That’s embarrassing. The Ravens appeared to go away from Henry, even though the Bengals have one of the worst run defenses in the NFL, allowing 156 per game. Henry and backup Keaton Mitchell combined for some big plays in the second half. Henry had a short reception that he turned into a 44-yard play, and Mitchell had an 18-yard touchdown run in the third period. But Baltimore needs to mix and match Henry and Mitchell more. Until then, they are wasting time. Grade: C- Offensive line After weeks of saying there would be no changes, the Ravens did insert rookie Emery Jones Jr. at left guard on occasion. Jones, though, struggled as much as starter Andrew Vorhees at times, but both got better in the second half when the Ravens had a deeper sense of urgency. Jackson, though, was sacked three times and hurried on five other occasions. There were times when the Bengals blitzed cornerbacks and safeties, and that seemed to catch Baltimore off guard. Either Jackson missed some hot reads, or the offensive tackles missed some assignments. Either way, it wasn’t a good outcome. Grade: D Receivers Jackson keeps leaving points on the field. Besides the overthrown pass to Bateman, he overthrew Walker in the first quarter. He also missed tight end Mark Andrews on a crossing pattern early in the game. The Ravens played better in the second half and got a crushing block from Flowers on Mitchell’s touchdown run. Flowers, though, still needs to be involved on jet sweeps and quick screens, and Baltimore is missing an opportunity on the outside with DeAndre Hopkins, who can’t always get separation but still makes the catch. Likely’s fumble after an apparent 44-yard touchdown in the quarter was unforgivable. Grade: C Defensive line The Ravens played well enough to win, and in most cases would have, but that happens to any interior line when the teams had virtually no running game except in the second half. Overall, the group did a nice job and had an excellent goal-line stand with four successful stops from their own 2-yard line in the first quarter. But one of the worst running teams in the NFL, ranked 30th and averaging only 84.9 yards a game, had 128 yards rushing, and the Bengals beat up on Baltimore in the second half. The big guys in the trenches held up well for a while, but they had a meltdown. Tackles John Jenkins (three tackles), Travis Jones (five tackles) and even Brent Urban ran out of energy in the fourth period. Grade: C Linebackers Not even the Ravens’ linebackers could save them Thursday night. The Bengals did a nice job of isolating Baltimore’s outside linebackers one-on-one in the flats. It had been a weakness at the beginning of the season and appears to be a problem now. The Ravens got ample pressure from rookie outside linebacker Mike Green as well as recently acquired Dre’Mont Jones, but Cincinnati did a good job of moving Joe Burrow in the pocket. If he had turf toe, he doesn’t have it now. The Bengals were good at throwing over the middle and challenging middle linebacker Roquan Smith, who finished with 11 tackles. Rookie weakside linebacker Teddye Buchanan had six tackles, but Cincinnati went after him as well. Grade: C- Ravens vs. Bengals, November 27, 2025 | PHOTOS Secondary It’s been a problem all year, and it was glaring again Thursday night. The Bengals drew nickel cornerback Marlon Humphrey to the outside and exposed his weaknesses in coverage. Bengals receiver Ja’Marr Chase had seven catches for 110 yards. The Ravens lost second-year cornerback Nate Wiggins to a foot injury, and he couldn’t return. He could at least match up with Chase when he was out there. Cincinnati, though, had no fear of going after rookie safety Malaki Starks, who struggled in covering tight ends in the deep third of the field. Cornerback Chidobe Awuzie played well in coverage, but Baltimore still has problems tackling in the open field. Grade: D Special teams Punter Jordan Stout had three punts for 149 yards and hit one 61 yards, which saved the Ravens in the first half. He did shank one later in the game, but that was the least of their problems. Rookie place kicker Tyler Loop didn’t have a field goal attempt, and the Ravens were fortunate the Bengals couldn’t score touchdowns in the first half. They need to get more out of their kickoff return game, especially with this faltering offense. Grade C Coaching The Ravens shouldn’t lose to a team that can’t run or stop the run. That is mind-boggling. Offensive coordinator Todd Monken apparently forgot the Ravens are a running team with only nine carries in the first half. Also, the Ravens’ offensive line couldn’t pick up blitzes from the Bengals’ secondary. Defensively, Baltimore was challenged by Burrow. All those great things we kept hearing about its defense weren’t true. The unit has improved, but not to the point where the defense can be counted on consistently, not against good teams and good quarterbacks. Grade: D Have a news tip? Contact Mike Preston at epreston@baltsun.com, 410-332-6467 and x.com/MikePrestonSun. View the full article Quote
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