When you consider what’s happened the last three seasons when the Bengals have played in Baltimore, especially the last two seasons, it makes the Bengals’ win on Thanksgiving Night sweeter. In 2023, Joe Burrow injured his wrist on Thursday Night Football in Baltimore.
In 2024, the Bengals lost 35-34 to the Ravens on Thursday Night Football in Baltimore, a game they led 21-7 in the third quarter. Joe Burrow threw for 428 yards and four touchdowns, and Ja’Marr Chase had 264 receiving yards and three touchdowns. It wasn’t enough.
After all that Joe Burrow and this team have been through the last three seasons, winning in Baltimore speaks to the fact that this is Joe Burrow’s team. As long as he’s playing, the Bengals are going to be relevant and in the Postseason contention.
Let’s take a look at Joe Burrow and what else we learned from the Bengals’ 32-14 win on Thanksgiving Night at the Baltimore Ravens.
3 things we learned from Bengals vs. Ravens
1. Joe Burrow is that dude at quarterback.
Think about this: Joe Burrow was playing in his first game back from a Grade 3 turf toe injury sustained in Week 2. That’s just the start, though. The Bengals were playing on a short week, on the road, in prime time, on Thanksgiving Night… at the Baltimore Ravens. Baltimore had won five straight games coming into Thanksgiving Night, while the Bengals had lost four straight and eight of nine.
All of that didn’t matter to Joe Burrow. He wanted to play, for all the right reasons. Did he have the best game of his career? No, but he had one of the better and more memorable games of his career. In the third quarter, Burrow threw for two touchdowns on throws that reminded everyone why he is so good at playing the quarterback position.
Burrow’s first touchdown pass was to Tanner Hudson in the back right corner of the end zone against Ravens’ safety Kyle Hamilton, arguably the best safety in the NFL. Later in the third quarter, Burrow slid up in the pocket and rainbowed a pass over the middle to Andrei Iosivas, who stumbled into the end zone for a touchdown. Tanner Hudson and Andrei Iosivas. Does anybody still think Joe Burrow is carried by his wide receivers? Tee Higgins didn’t even play Thursday night. You look at the box score and see Ja’Marr Chase has seven receptions for 110 yards when it felt like he had an off game.
The Bengals are 4-8. Not great. But it’s a heck of a lot better being a Bengals fan with Joe Burrow playing than when he’s not playing, and the last nine weeks prior to Thanksgiving Night would confirm that. Considering all the injuries he has been through in his career, it’s impressive to see him play at such a high level on a big stage like Thanksgiving Night.
2. When they create turnovers, this defense is… good?
When you think of the best defenses in Bengals’ history, like 2005 and 2021, those defenses were great at forcing turnovers. The Bengals have never had a dominant defense—this defense is no exception—but forcing turnovers is the great equalizer. That’s what this Bengals’ defense did Thanksgiving Night, recovering three fumbles, forcing four, and intercepting Lamar Jackson early in the fourth quarter.
In each of the Bengals’ four wins this season, they have forced multiple turnovers. That’s not a coincidence.
Jordan Battle forcing a fumble on Ravens’ tight end Isaiah Likely was the biggest momentum swing of the game. Battle’s hustle to punch the ball out and keep the Ravens off the scoreboard is the kind of play this defense has been lacking for most of this season. But it’s the kind of play that can turn this defense around. It’s a spark this young defense needs, one that is still searching for a leader.
The Bengals’ defense, though, also held the Ravens’ offense in check. Derrick Henry rushed for 60 yards on 10 carries. If you take away his 28-yard touchdown run in the first quarter, he only had 32 yards on nine other carries. Baltimore rushed for just 123 yards on 22 carries.
In addition, Lamar Jackson was sacked three times, and the Ravens were just 3-of-10 on third down. The Ravens also held the ball for just 21:14 of game time.
This much-maligned Bengals’ defense showed up in spades Thanksgiving Night. It could be a big step forward for this young group.
3. Evan McPherson is back to being Money Mac
McPherson has been incredible the last two weeks. Thanksgiving Night, he was a perfect 6-of-6, including a long of 52 yards. When he steps out onto the field, there is a renewed sense of confidence that he is going to make every kick he attempts. There hasn’t been that feeling in a long time. After last season, it feels good to have that feeling again.
Over the last two weeks, McPherson made a franchise-record-setting 63-yard field goal against the Patriots and then was perfect on six field goals just four days later. He’s on a heater, and the Bengals may need him to come up clutch on multiple occasions over these last five games.
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