ExtremeRavens Posted Sunday at 08:53 PM Posted Sunday at 08:53 PM Here’s what The Baltimore Sun sports staff had to say immediately after the Ravens’ 24-0 win over the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 15 of the NFL season on Sunday at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati: Brian Wacker, reporter The Ravens (7-7) have talked for weeks — months really — about the need to play complementary football, and on a frosty day in Cincinnati finally did just that. It took a little while to warm up, but once they did they showed they had more fight than the hapless Bengals (4-10). Unlike earlier contests, Baltimore’s defense never allowed Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase to find a rhythm, while its offense found some of its own with the passing and running of Lamar Jackson along with the bruising power of Derrick Henry. It wasn’t a perfect performance by the Ravens, but this was a game they couldn’t afford to be sloppy in. Baltimore had just two penalties, played smart when it had the football and took care of business. Now they’ll return home for another critical game against the New England Patriots next Sunday night with the playoffs still very much in reach. Mike Preston, columnist At sometime during the second half, some of the Bengals players pulled up the U-Haul trucks and started moving out some of their apartment or home furnishings. Paycor Stadium was only half-filled and Cincinnati played with little inspiration or momentum. Actually, the Bengals played like the worst defense in the NFL. But let’s not throw away the Ravens’ team effort. Baltimore played its best game since back-to-back wins against Chicago and Miami in late October. They ran the ball well with running backs Derrick Henry and Keaton Mitchell, and the defensive players actually kept everything in front of them and came up to make tackles. And the Ravens actually had a pass rush. Wow. They were pretty consistent with pressure on Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, who at times had no answers for the zone looks the Ravens kept presenting him. The Ravens are still far from being a good, solid football team, but at least they took advantage of Cincinnati. After two straight losses, this franchise has to take whatever it can get. Josh Tolentino, columnist The Ravens survived Sunday’s bitter cold temperatures and escaped Paycor Stadium with a needed victory that ended their two-game skid. Their exact playoff odds remain in flux; first-place Pittsburgh is scheduled to host Miami on Monday night. For now, cue the Bee Gees. Baltimore’s playoff hopes are staying alive with three critical regular-season games remaining. Lamar Jackson was sacked four times but looked more like a two-time Most Valuable Player rather than the sub-par version of himself that was on display the past five weeks. He led a near-perfect end-of-half sequence that concluded with his 28-yard touchdown completion to wideout Zay Flowers. Jackson should’ve finished with three touchdown passes, but Flowers was unable to high-point a toss near the right corner of the end zone in the third quarter. Flowers also played a detrimental role in Jackson’s lone interception, again unable to haul in a ball that hit him in the hands before it was snatched midair by Cincinnati safety Jordan Battle. The defense, which lost rookie linebacker Teddye Buchanan to a suspected torn ACL injury, impressively shutout embattled Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, highlighted by interceptions from Kyle Van Noy and Marlon Humphrey. After the Ravens recorded just one sack over their past two games, Travis Jones, Tavius Robinson and Mike Green finished with a combined three sacks of Burrow. More pressure and takeaways will be key ingredients if the Ravens aspire to pull off a memorable stretch to close the season. Ravens vs. Bengals, Dec. 14, 2025 | PHOTOS Sam Cohn, reporter This performance came two weeks too late. Jackson was sharp through the air. And the Ravens’ defense beat up Burrow. The ensuing discourse would sound different had they won the initial Thanksgiving meeting. Blowing out this Cincinnati team doesn’t prove Baltimore to be a January-ready team. But the Ravens survived and thus they advance to another week with a playoff berth still possible. Their playoff odds climbed from 27% to 41%, per The New York Times’ playoff simulator. The next three games will all be tougher: vs. New England, at Green Bay, vs. Pittsburgh. Credit to the imperfect Ravens. They didn’t roll over with the season on the line this time. Also: Front runner for funniest play of the year goes to Kyle Van Noy. Tavius Robinson got pressure on Burrow, who threw a bad interception right to Van Noy. The veteran linebacker ran about four steps and looked for someone to give the ball to. He handed it over to Alohi Gilman, who took it 84 yards for a touchdown. One of those, “no, no, no, oh nice” plays. C.J. Doon, editor That game felt like a trip to the dentist: Cold, dreary and occasionally painful but something you just have to take care of to avoid future problems. (Kyle Van Noy’s handoff to Alohi Gilman for the game-sealing pick-six was a nice lollipop on the way out the door.) Credit to Todd Monken for pounding the rock with Derrick Henry and Keaton Mitchell early and often. We finally saw some glimpses of vintage Lamar Jackson as well, especially that beautiful touchdown pass to Zay Flowers to end the first half. That felt like Jackson’s best throw in a while. Outside of an airmailed pass to Mark Andrews that DJ Turner should have intercepted, the star QB appeared to be in total control — at least until he took a few too many sacks late in the third quarter. He can’t afford to be on the turf too often giving how many injuries he’s had to battle so far this season. Speaking of injuries, they are a big concern right now after linebacker Teddye Buchanan (knee) and cornerbacks Chidobe Awuzie (foot) and Marlon Humphrey (knee) went down. Left tackle Ronnie Stanley and outside linebacker Dre’Mont Jones were shaken up as well. On the day safety Ar’Darius Washington and defensive end Tavius Robinson came back, it felt like one step forward and two steps backward in the health department. At the end of the day, the Ravens are still alive. In fact, if the Steelers falter on Monday night (a very realistic possibility with the Dolphins playing well in recent weeks and star pass rusher T.J. Watt being ruled out), Baltimore is right back in the hunt for the AFC North title. Keeping the winning streak going against the Patriots, Packers and Steelers is asking for a lot, but you need to beat good teams on the path to becoming a Super Bowl champion. That’s a great test to get ready for January football. Tim Schwartz, editor Baltimore’s roller coaster season continues to be unpredictable. Barely two weeks after losing to the Bengals at home, the Ravens went into a frozen Paycor Stadium and crushed Cincinnati in all three phases. The Bengals looked to be sleepwalking through this one, at least offensively, while Baltimore focused on what it does best: run the ball. Derrick Henry carried the ball the first three plays of the game to set the tone, and he started breaking off longer runs as the game progressed. Keaton Mitchell looked healthy, gaining 66 yards on eight carries, and Lamar Jackson had a timely 14-yard run, too. This is Baltimore’s recipe for success. Count on the defense to have a good day and ride Henry and Mitchell (and Rasheen Ali, because why not?) to victory. Bennett Conlin, editor Baltimore’s playoff dreams are alive. The Ravens’ defense delivered perhaps its best game of the season in a must-win moment. Running back Derrick Henry took over in the second half, with Zay Flowers acting as a perfect offensive complement at wide receiver. There’s a lot to like about Baltimore’s team-wide showing, including Lamar Jackson showing improved burst as a runner. The Bengals, however, are now 4-10. Even with Joe Burrow back, Cincinnati isn’t New England nor Green Bay. The Ravens gave their fans reason for renewed optimism with a comfortable win Sunday, but it won’t matter much if they fall back against the Patriots, Packers and even the Steelers in Week 18. Baltimore showed they still have fight left in them, delivering a knockout blow to Cincinnati’s slim playoff hopes. How many haymakers do the Ravens have left? They didn’t look like a team ready to quietly drift into the offseason Sunday. Have a news tip? Contact sports editor C.J. Doon at cdoon@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/CJDoon. View the full article Quote
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.