The Bengals led 21-7 when Brown fumbled, and the turnover clearly let the Ravens back into the game.
As much as you try to fight it, you know the feeling that sometimes a game can turn on one play. Even with a 14-point lead, a fumble is sometimes all a team needs to get back into the game.
That was the case on Thursday night in Baltimore when Cincinnati Bengals running back Chase Brown fumbled midway through the third quarter, and the Bengals led 21-7. The Ravens took over in Bengals territory and proceeded to score their first of four straight touchdowns.
Brown’s fumble is considered the turning point of Thursday night’s game. The Bengals had all of the momentum at the time. They were moving the ball on the drive before Brown fumbled. It felt like that drive could have started the knockout punch. Instead, Brown’s fumble let a dangerous Ravens team back into the game.
However, I don’t think Brown’s fumble was the only turning point of the game. On the Ravens’ ensuing drive, they faced a 2nd&9 from the 10-yard line. Lamar Jackson ran backward 20 yards and was nearing the sideline. He proceeded to tightrope the sideline all the way to the one-yard line.
That’s right. The ONE. YARD. LINE.
The Bengals defense had the opportunity to pin the Ravens way back in a third-and-long situation. Jackson, though, made the Bengals defense pay once again. Just as he did in Cincinnati with his touchdown to Isaiah Likely, he did it to the Bengals defense again with his run that, somehow, only went for nine yards.
Lamar Jackson traveled 58.1 yards to gain 10 and a first down, setting up a Derrick Henry 1-yard TD one play later.
Jackson did not cross the line of scrimmage until 10.1 seconds after the snap and had just a 4.0% probability of gaining a first down.#CINvsBAL | #RavensFlock pic.twitter.com/0X32KZa5DH
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) November 8, 2024
That’s why tonight there’s a question worth pondering: Is the Bengals defense really that bad, or is Lamar Jackson just MADDENINGLY AMAZING? The defense has been getting better since the first Ravens Week 5. Lamar Jackson and the Ravens have been the best offense in the NFL and have been making highlight-reel plays every week.
In addition, the notion that Joe Burrow is really good in November and December showed tonight. Burrow threw for 428 yards and four touchdowns tonight… without Tee Higgins. That’s why this team still has a glimmer of hope. It starts with winning a toss-up game at the Los Angeles Chargers next week, then winning a crucial home game against the Pittsburgh Steelers in three weeks.
Going back to the Brown fumble, it was one of two turning points in Thursday night’s game. The other was Lamar Jackson’s, which I don’t have the words for. Run on the ensuing drive. Brown’s fumble set up Jackson to show his theatrics on the ensuing drive.
The Bengals are now 4-6 and 1-2 in the AFC North. They play at the Chargers on Sunday Night Football next Sunday night, with kickoff at 8:20 on NBC.
