Ravens most to blame for embarrassing Thanksgiving loss to Bengals

The Baltimore Ravens are in deep, deep trouble. With Lamar Jackson returning from nearly a month-long absence due to injury, there was hope that Baltimore could regain control of the AFC North. It did seem like the Ravens were starting to get it together, stringing wins against the Dolphins, Vikings, Jets, and Browns.

However, hiding under those wins was a worrying trend for the team. And on Thanksgiving, the Ravens’ worst qualities came back to haunt them. Against a returning Joe Burrow, the Ravens stood no chance against the Cincinnati Bengals. They lost 32-14 in an embarrassing contest that saw the home crowd leave the stadium with plenty of time in the fourth quarter.

There are, of course, a lot of fingers to point at who lost the game for the Ravens. Let’s look at the biggest culprits.

Lamar Jackson

If you watched the game, you knew this was coming. Ravens-Bengals games over the last few years had devolved into an offensive shootout between Burrow and Jackson. This time around, though, only Burrow showed up for the duel, as Jackson was uncharacteristically quiet.

Jackson completed 17 of his 32 passing attempts for 246 yards. On paper, that seemed like a fine outing for the Ravens quarterback. However, Jackson accounted for three of the five turnovers Baltimore committed this season. He had two fumbles and one interception, and he also failed to score a touchdown.

Even outside of the turnovers, Jackson looked shaky all game long. He missed a few easy throws that would have moved the chains for the Ravens, and he looked uncomfortable in the pocket. His best throws came during scramble drills, where he was able to extend plays long enough for his receivers to get open.

Some of Jackson’s struggles this game could be attributed to factors out of his control: his interception was batted on the line for Demetrius Knight Jr to easily pick off. However, that still doesn’t excuse his awful performance in other areas.

Todd Monken

One of the most frustrating recurring themes of the Ravens over the last few seasons is their inexplicable tendency to get away from the run game. Fans had hoped that after acquiring Derrick Henry, Baltimore would lean more on their run game. A Jackson-Henry backfield seems like a truly terrifying concept for opposing defenses.

Unfortunately, the Ravens’ worst enemy are themselves. Offensive coordinator Todd Monken has, on many occassions, went away from running the ball during some games. That happened once again against the Bengals.

Henry had a good start to the game, even scoring the first touchdown of the game on a 28-yard run. However, the Ravens running back got only ten carries during the game for 60 yards. The Ravens had a total of 22 carries on the game, which was a shame considering that they were averaging 5.6 yards per carry.

Some of that is due to the Bengals leading for most of the second half. Even then, though, Ravens fans would have loved to see more carries against one of the worst run defenses in football today.

Ravens’ defensive line

On the other side of the ball, the Ravens struggled heavily to stop the Burrow-led Bengals attack. Burrow had slightly similar numbers to Jackson in terms of completion percentage and yards gained. (261 passing yards, 52% completion rate). What killed the Ravens on that side of the ball, then?

Burrow had two passing touchdowns on the day, yes, but the Ravens cornerbacks did a solid job defending the passing attack. Marlon Humphrey, Nate Wiggins (before he was injured), and Chidobe Awuzie all had clutch stops against the Cincinnati WRs. It was the run game, though, that opened up more opportunities for the Bengals, and the defensive line’s inability to slow down Chase Brown (15 carries, 78 yards) hurt their defense far more.

In addition, the Ravens’ defensive line struggled to generate pressure against the Bengals’ offensive line. Burrow did a masterful job caling out blitzes and setting the protections, but he also had a peaceful night just standing in the pocket and dissecting the defense. No matter how good a cornerback does, they’ll eventually get tired and allow an accurate QB like Burrow to work his magic. Burrow was sacked just once during the game and was barely touched.

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