Wrap up.
The Cincinnati Bengals had a huge matchup Thursday night as they took on the Baltimore Ravens and left with a heartbreaking 35-34 loss.
It was a good night for some and a tough night for others in a game this team really needed but epically failed to get.
Here are the winners and losers from the Week 10 contest.
Winners
Ja’Marr Chase
Chase just has huge games against the Ravens. After a relatively quiet first half, Chase did what he always seems to do and took a pass 67 yards to pay dirt. Five Ravens were near Chase, and it simply didn’t matter. In the 4th quarter, after Baltimore took their first lead of the game, Chase hauled in a deep ball from Burrow for a 70-yard touchdown to take the air out of the stadium. Chase finished the game with 11 receptions for 264 yards and three touchdowns. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough.
Joe Burrow
Returning to Baltimore, where he lost his 2023 season with a wrist injury, Burrow was his normal, calm self. He climbed the pocket well all night, made good decisions on the run, and took what the defense gave him. He threw for 428 yards, four touchdowns, and no interceptions despite getting hit and driven into the turf essentially all night.
Losers
Chase Brown
The Bengals had all of the momentum until Brown’s fumble in the third quarter. From there, the floodgates opened for Baltimore, and the defense just couldn’t get it done. A fumble on their own 30 completely flipped the game in Baltimore’s favor. The young running back will bounce back, but the impact of the fumble can’t be ignored.
Zac Taylor
Taylor with a lead is just scary at this point. On two separate 3rd and 4th and short situations, we saw deep shots down the field. Taylor apparently got tired of hearing about screens on 4th down and moved on to deep shots. The 4th downplay in the 4th quarter directly led to Baltimore’s go-ahead touchdown. At some point, this is on your head coach and play caller. This game came down to two bad 4th down calls and a play designed for Tanner Hudson to win the game.
Cam Taylor-Britt
Taylor-Britt started out strong but had an extremely rough first half. A missed open-field tackle on Tylan Wallace sprung him free for what would be an 84-yard touchdown pass. With 5:26 left in the 4th quarter, he dropped what should have been an easy interception. With 1:49 in the 4th quarter, Taylor-Britt was beaten by Rashod Bateman to give Baltimore the go-ahead score. The second-half swing took him from a winner to a loser on Thursday.
Lou Anarumo’s Entire Defense
After a phenomenal first half, we saw a complete meltdown in the second half. The offense certainly didn’t do them any favors with fumbles and failed conversions, but the defense has to be able to stiffen up and bail them out at some point. Missed tackles have plagued this defense all season and they showed up once again tonight. When it is multiple players missing tackles, you have to look at the man leading the defense.
Evan McPherson
It certainly feels like the coaching staff has lost faith in McPherson. In years past, we would see them send McPherson out for a 56-yard field goal with almost no hesitation. Thursday, they passed on that chance on what was a failed 4th-down conversion several times. It’s clear this team no longer has the faith in McPherson it had before the 2024 season.
