The Cincinnati Bengals took care of business in Week 18 against the Baltimore Ravens, winning 27-16 in a game that carried big playoff implications.
Cincinnati struggled offensively at times but the defense looked as expected against an offense starting a third-stringer under center.
With the win, the Bengals avoided having home-field advantage in the wild-card round come down to a coin toss.
Here’s a look at some quick notes and items worth seeing right after the game ended.
Quick Hits
— Bengals stacked the box more than we’ve probably ever seen from them on Baltimore’s first offensive drive. So it goes against a third-stringer.
— Basic, checkdown-filled drive for the Bengals on their first effort. Joe Burrow was a touch off on multiple throws, which was something to watch as the game continued.
— Joe Mixon scored a short-yardage touchdown, then hit one of the best touchdown celebrations in a long time by mocking the NFL for the coin-flip stipulation.
— Bengals defense picked off Anthony Brown twice while running up a 17-0 lead on passes that frankly were simple picks for Jessie Bates and Vonn Bell.
— Slightly concerning was how off Burrow looked at times in the first half, though the touchdown pass to Ja’Marr Chase was nice. But he had missed multiple touchdown throws before that.
— The biggest problem the Bengals were going to have with the Ravens was the running game. That was put on full display before halftime as the ground game pushed the Bengals down the field for seven points despite no serious passing threat at QB.
— Trey Hendrickson destroyed a pocket on his lonesome and Jospeh Ossai scooped up the fumble off the sack for a defensive touchdown to make it 24-7 at half. Exactly what you’d expect from an elite defense against a third-string offense.
— Third quarter, Burrow was facemasked and fumbled, a stunning no-call from officials. That helped the Ravens score three points. Not a major swing, but just enough to force the Bengals to keep starters in the game, which had implications beyond this week.
— Right guard Alex Cappa needed help leaving the field after getting rolled up on in a brutal-looking injury. Right side of the line was already depleted with La’el Collins lost for the season.
— With the score 27-16, Jessie Bates ripped a fumble free from a Ravens defender for a turnover to effectively end it, capping off a superb day for the franchise-tagged safety.
Key Stat
19-44 for 286: The passing numbers for the Ravens, as the Bengals defense also picked off two passes. Solid day of work for one of the league’s premier defenses, as expected.
Game Balls
WR Ja’Marr Chase: Smooth day of work for Chase, whose eight catches for 86 yards and a score put him up over 1,000 yards on the season.
DE Trey Hendrickson: It seemed like whenever the defense needed a big stop, Hendrickson was there to provide it while he plays through a broken wrist.
Top Takeaway
Sloppy but expected: This one went about as expected. Keep in mind the Bengals would’ve played starters for at least the first half because the No. 2 seed was still up for grabs. It’s safe to expect the Cincinnati offense comes out with more complex looks in the playoffs next week, especially if it’s against a healthier Ravens team. They’ll need to better close out games, but it’s to the playoffs they go.
