The Cincinnati Bengals hit worst-case scenario mode on Thursday night against the Baltimore Ravens, losing the game 34-20 and much more in the process — Joe Burrow suffered a wrist injury that ended his day in the first half.
Making it even tougher was the fact Burrow suffered the injury while throwing a touchdown pass in a very even-looking game early before the Ravens pulled away.
Now at 5-5 and with the long-term health of one of the NFL’s best passers a question mark again, the next week and a half will say much about the 2023 Bengals.
For now, here’s a quick look at some notable stats and things to know from right after the game went final.
Quick Hits
— Missed tackles and bad angles plagued the defense on the opening drive of the game, a continuation of the struggles from last Sunday. Baltimore marched 75 yards down the field in less than five minutes for an easy score.
— Bengals burned multiple timeouts over their first two offensive drives because guys who aren’t usually in on offense had an issue getting aligned in time. The absence of wide receiver Tee Higgins, among others, was a big deal in more ways than simple production.
— Cam Taylor-Britt keeps emerging, this time with a huge pass breakup on a deep shot that would’ve been a score.
— Tanner Hudson also emerging again, this time with a couple of huge catches in the first half.
— Bengals started a second-quarter drive from their own 18-yard line and despite a delay of game and false start, marched down the field and scored.
— Joe Burrow came up shaking his hand after the touchdown pass there. Things quickly spiraled out of control from there, with Burrow unable to grip the football on the sideline, eventually leaving the field for the locker room with the team declaring him questionable to return.
— Near the end of the first half, tackling issues and a pair of questionable penalties on Bengals defenders led the Ravens down the field to take a 21-10 lead.
— Jake Browning actually led a very nice drive down the field to start the second half, though the unit had to settle for a field goal. Meanwhile, the team officially ruled out Burrow.
— Taylor-Britt was quickly ruled out with a quad injury.
— Browning had flashes, but like most other backups, held the ball too long and too often, and it caused problems.
— Even with the game still in reach, the Bengals defense totaled seven explosive plays allowed, with an inexperienced secondary and veterans making odd mistakes guaranteeing this one would go in Baltimore’s favor.
Key Stat
401: Total yards for the Ravens. Injury to Burrow or not, the defense entered the game giving up more explosive plays than most units in the NFL, and it once again reared its head via bad tackles and poor angles.
Game Balls
RB Joe Mixon: This looked like a Mixon breakout game. He was running well and led the team in receiving deep into the fourth quarter, plus the touchdown. He kept going hard despite the grim circumstances.
TE Tanner Hudson: The former practice squad player was again a key target for both quarterbacks and rightfully continues to see more snaps than Irv Smith.
CB Cam Taylor-Britt: Before the injury, CTB was again playing great ball, reaffirming that he’s the No. 1 CB.
Top Takeaway
Wait and see: The Bengals would’ve been fine with a loss here. Not ideal, but not the end of the season, either. But with Burrow’s health again in question, now all anyone can do is wait and see whether he’ll be able to play again in the next few weeks. If he can’t, well, no need to finish the thought.
