In win over Bengals, Lamar Jackson's Ravens arrive late and still dominate
On Sunday, the Ravens led the Denver Broncos by 14 points in the third quarter, and they scored a touchdown because they could. On Thursday, the Ravens trailed the Cincinnati Bengals by 14 points in the third quarter, and they scored a touchdown because they had to.
Of all the day-and-night differences between this Ravens attack and those that have preceded it, from Vinny Testaverde's to Kyle Boller's to Joe Flacco's to even Lamar Jackson's first six offenses in Baltimore, that is perhaps the most striking distinction. Ask for a touchdown, and they will almost certainly deliver. Ask for two, and they will still probably find a way.
"I think no matter what, if we're up 14, down 14, we're always trying to score," left tackle Ronnie Stanley said late Thursday night. He could grit out a smile in the locker room because the Ravens (7-3) had waited just long enough to score just enough points in a dramatic 35-34 win over the Cincinnati Bengals (4-6) at M&T Bank Stadium. "We always have a mindset that it's 0-0, and we want to make sure that we're playing the best ball, no matter what the score is."
For years now, rightly or wrongly, the Ravens' offense under Jackson has suffered a reputation as front-runners, unable to pivot to the pass when their ground game stalls, incapable of playing catch-up when their defense disappears. With two come-from-behind wins in a six-week span, the Ravens might be changing those perceptions for good. They did not set out to make the Bengals the audience for these very public demonstrations. It just sort of happened that way.
In a Week 5 instant classic in Cincinnati , the Ravens overcame a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit and an overmatched secondary to win in overtime, 41-38. On Thursday, they overcame a 14-point third-quarter deficit and an overmatched secondary — plus a parade of penalties, plus a missed extra point by kicker Justin Tucker — to finish off their season sweep.
"Again, just the belief and the fight and the resiliency that the guys had throughout four quarters and just understanding that we have no quit," said tight end Mark Andrews, whose 18-yard touchdown catch midway through the fourth quarter gave the Ravens a 28-21 lead after a 2-point conversion. "We're always going to fight until the end and make it tough."
The Ravens needed to keep scoring Thursday night, or else. They trailed 14-7 after an uneven first half, finishing with more three-and-outs (three) than scoring drives. And when All-Pro safety Kyle Hamilton left the game with an ankle injury late in the first half , an already wobbly Ravens defense started to careen wildly.
Despite an impotent run game, despite the absence of injured starting wide receiver Tee Higgins and injured star left tackle Orlando Brown Jr., the Bengals averaged 8.6 yards per play in the second half, scoring 20 points and very nearly the 22 they needed. Even Ravens safety Ar'Darius Washington's tight coverage on quarterback Joe Burrow's failed 2-point-conversion attempt to tight end Tanner Hudson could've been for naught; officials didn't flag the Ravens for making obvious contact with Burrow's helmet on his throw or for a less obvious defensive holding penalty.
Burrow and star wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase did all they could to wall off Jackson's comeback paths. After wasting a 392-yard, five-touchdown performance in Week 5, Burrow headed back to Cincinnati early Friday morning with 428 yards, four touchdowns and a 1-6 record in head-to-head starts against his AFC North bogeyman . Chase had 10 catches for 193 yards and two touchdowns in Cincinnati, then 11 catches for 264 yards and three touchdowns in Baltimore. But he was not targeted on the game's most important throw Thursday, the one with 38 seconds left that might've knocked the Ravens out for good.
"I'm always open," he told reporters afterward when asked about the failed 2-point try.
Against this Ravens offense, there is just no margin for error. Since Week 4, the Ravens have scored at least 30 points in all but one game, a Week 8 loss to the Cleveland Browns , going 6-1 in that span. Among those victories, there have been staggering blowouts ( Buffalo Bills , Denver Broncos ), a fireworks show with late drama ( Tampa Bay Buccaneers ) and an all-around buttoned-up performance ( Washington Commanders ).
But it's the two nail-biting wins over the Bengals that are perhaps most significant. They speak to the power and poise of this Ravens offense. When trailing in the second half against Cincinnati this season, Jackson went a combined 26-for-35 (74.3%) for 383 yards and five touchdowns, and he added five carries for 56 yards, according to TruMedia.
In Week 5, Jackson threw three second-half touchdowns and led a drive for a tying field goal late in regulation. On Thursday, he threw three second-half touchdowns — all coming on third-down plays — and led a fourth touchdown march as the Ravens scored 28 second-half points, the most by any team this season.
"I was telling my guys on the sideline, 'We have to score,'" said Jackson, who finished 25-for-33 for 290 yards and four touchdowns and joined Peyton Manning and Aaron Rodgers as the third player all time to post at least 275 passing yards and a passer rating of at least 100 in six straight games. "If they score, we have to score. That's the type of game it's going to be."
"I don't know who else you would want to have back there," said wide receiver Tylan Wallace, whose 84-yard catch-and-run score early in the fourth quarter trimmed the Ravens' deficit to 21-20. "He makes plays out of nothing; a lot of quarterbacks in the league probably can't, so just having him back there, having that trust in him, having him trust us, you couldn't ask for anything better."
The Ravens' offense isn't perfect. But it is adaptable. When leading by at least seven points in games this season, they've averaged 7.3 yards per play (first in the NFL) and 0.15 expected points added per play (fifth). When trailing by at least seven points in games this season, they've averaged 7.5 yards per play (first in the NFL) and 0.30 EPA per play (second).
Stanley, who starred on the 2019 Ravens team that led the NFL in both passing and rushing efficiency, according to the now-defunct Football Outsiders, called this Ravens offense "the most complete offense I've been around in my time in the league."
The Ravens might need it fully operational over the regular season's final two months. Their defense is a near-weekly albatross. Their special teams have been scuffling. But at halftime, Wallace recalled, the Ravens knew there was nothing they couldn't overcome. They can win comfortably; that's certainly their preference. But they can win dramatically, too.
"We all knew we weren't playing Ravens football," Wallace said. "When we came in, we were like, 'Guys, we're fine. We don't need to panic or anything like that. We just have to go out and do what we know how to do and play Ravens football.' And I think we came out in the second half, and we did that."
Said coach John Harbaugh: "You keep fighting. We found a way, right down to the end."
