Green, Dalton exploit middle of Ravens’ short-handed defense.
PAUL BROWN STADIUM, CINCINNATI, OH, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2018. As long as anyone can remember, we have been told: “It’s a jungle out there!”
Why? Well, in pro football terms, at least, Cincinnati’s since-demolished Riverfront Stadium was dubbed “The Jungle.” It was an intimidating fortress and the Bengals wreaked havoc on visiting opponents.
But with time comes change. Riverfront eventually gave way to the present-day Paul Brown Stadium, the facility named for the man Ravens’ owner Art Modell fired as Cleveland’s head coach (1962).
But, sadly, that new venue has exacted its own kind of revenge on Baltimore.
The Ravens had lost seven of their last nine games there and were 8-14 all-time in the Queen City.
Baltimore seemingly started to turn things around, gaining a shutout victory in last season’s opener. But the presence of AJ Green and the absence of CJ Mosley added up to a 31-23 loss Thursday night before a less-than-full stadium’s worth of Cincinnati fans. Those attending celebrated “The Jungle” era by remembering their 1988 Super Bowl XXIII runner-up team.
By winning, the Bengals took the head-to-head series lead over the Ravens for the first time since the series was 3-2 Bengals in 1998. And, if that wasn’t enough, with the loss the Ravens weren’t able to shake the memory of getting knocked out of a playoff spot last year–a game the Bengals won by converting a 4th-and-12 touchdown with less than a minute to go.
It was no way to celebrate New Year’s Eve in M&T Bank Stadium!
Worse yet, that win put the Buffalo into the postseason. At least the Ravens got revenge last week with a 47-3 blowout at home against the Bills. But, on Thursday night, Baltimore couldn’t win Game 2 of what some fans called “The Revenge Tour.”
The Ravens (1-1) now have to make the most of a mini-bye of sorts–before returning home for a Week Three visit from the Denver Broncos (Sunday, September 23; 1 p.m.; WJZ-TV, WIYY-FM). That will give time for the team to figure out what happened in this surprising, if not a shocking, loss to the Bengals–a loss that really shouldn’t have been.
First, the Ravens went into the game 7-2 on Thursday nights under head coach John Harbaugh–with a win streak of five games, one short of being tied with Seattle for the league’s current longest streak. Second, the Ravens were mostly healthy for the first time in recent years, which meant the team would be able to showcase youth, depth, and speed.
But none of that was to be. With the help of some light rain, defense and sloppy execution dictated the early tempo of this game. And the Ravens–again–got shaky punt-handling duties from undrafted rookie Janarion Grant.
The big news on this night, though, was Bengals’ standout receiver AJ Green (69 yards, five catches, three touchdowns). In a phrase, Green took over the game.
Green struck early and often. After Cincinnati safety Jessie Bates picked off Joe Flacco’s cross-route pass for Michael Crabtree–and, later, Eric Weddle couldn’t stay inbounds on an interception attempt–Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton (24-for-42, 265 yards, four touchdowns, 107.7 rating) fake-tossed, rolled out, and found Green behind Tavon Young in the back of the end zone for a four-yard score.
Safety Tony Jefferson had been called for pass interference on that drive and, to make matters worse, middle linebacker and defensive captain Mosley left the game with a left knee bone bruise. He was carted off to the locker room and never returned. (Note: That injury usually takes three-to-six weeks to heal.)
Green breaks away on a 32-yard scamper (photo, OregonLive)
And with backup Albert McClellan cut in training camp–and youngsters Kenny Young and Patrick Onwuasor having to pick up the slack–the Bengals pounced on offense, attacking the middle of the Ravens’ defense with Green, again, leading the way. He broke a tackle after a slant catch and scored a 32-yard touchdown to up the lead to 14-0.
It was Deja Vu. Green, a Ravens’ killer previously, but who had only caught 11 passes in the last three games against Baltimore.
Green was rejuvenated Thursday night, thanks largely to the Ravens’ short-handed defense. Not only was Mosley’s absence a factor, the inexperienced Young ended up covering him on both touchdowns.
The result? Green now has eight touchdowns against Baltimore since 2011.
It was a different story on the other sidelines. When the Ravens had the ball, Flacco (32-for-55, 376 yards, two touchdowns, two interceptions, four sacks, 76 rating) incurred three early sacks and couldn’t get any push from his offensive line.
Yes, Flacco reached the 300-yard mark for the first time in 21 games, but the lack of push up front, coupled with the foundering running game, rendered that stat virtually meaningless.
Dalton, on the other hand, had no such problems. The Bengals outgained the Ravens in the first quarter, 141-27, getting nine first downs to the Ravens’ one. And things didn’t change in the second frame, either. Terrell Suggs hands-to-the-face call kept a drive alive that ended in Green’s third touchdown of the night, this one on a seven-yard catch.
The Ravens answered quickly, though, with John Brown wrestling the ball away from a defender on a long gain. Buck Allen’s subsequent one-yard run put the visitors on the board after a ten-play, 68-yard drive. It was now halfway through the second quarter.
On this night, Dalton outplayed Flacco (photo, MSN.com)
But that score wasn’t a momentum-turner. Dalton took the Bengals on a 12-play, 78-yard drive, finding Tyler Boyd on a short touchdown pass. That play featured a missed tackle by Patrick Onwuasor and the hosts, once again, held a 21-point lead.
Bengals cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick then did what he has been doing a lot–called for pass interference, this time on John Brown, late in the half. Kirkpatrick, who had six such penalties last year, helped set up Flacco’s one-yard touchdown pass to rookie tight end Mark Andrews–his first career score–and that score cut the Bengals’ lead in half, 28-14.
That score was part of a string of scores that saw the Raven’s reel off 16 unanswered points–a rally that was bolstered by a no-huddle offense. In addition to Andrews’ score, Justin Tucker kicked a 55-yard field goal (his 22nd straight successful kick); and an 87-yard, 12-play drive ended with a 21-yard touchdown to Brown. A stray two-point pass left the Ravens trailing by five with nine minutes to go.
But Bengals kicker Randy Bullock hit a 28-yard field goal with 2:59 left. That score gave the Bengals an 8-point lead. And, when Flacco fumbled the ball away, the Bengals sealed the deal with Bullock’s 40-yard FG.
At that point, “The Jungle” seemed just as foreboding as it was 30 years ago. The Ravens were left with thoughts of what could have been … should have been.
