CINCINNATI — With out Lamar Jackson, the Baltimore Ravens were not likely to offer Cincinnati Bengals Cincinnati Bengals much of a battle on Sunday in their wild-card game. However, things did not go as planned.
The Bengals managed to get an impressive 24-17 win to set the stage for a divisional round contest against Buffalo Bills, but it was a lot closer than expected.
A touchdown return of 98 yards from Tyler Huntley’s mishap at the line of goal in the 4th quarter was decisive.
Cincinnati Bengals
It’s not easy to play rivals from different divisions, no matter how much it’s intended be.
Both AFC North teams met for the second time in a row, and the Bengals defeated a weak Ravens team in celebration of two consecutive division championships. In spite of the Ravens being with out Jackson, Cincinnati was pushed to the edge by Paycor Stadium but survived.
A few big plays by important players helped the defending AFC champions to make it to the next round.
The pivotal play was that with the Ravens just a few yards away from taking the advantage in the 4th quarter Cincinnati’s defense made huge error. When Huntley attempted to push his ball past the line of goal in hopes of the score and Linebacker Logan Wilson punched the ball from Huntley’s hands. The ball flew away and defensive lineman Sam Hubbard scooped it up for a 98-yard fumble recovery touchdown. It was one of the most long stretches ever recorded in NFL Postseason history. It was ultimately an 14-point gain which gave the Bengals an advantage of 24-17 at 11:39 of the game.
QB breakdown Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow has had some great moments. Burrow recorded 22-of-32 passes for 209 yards, with one touchdown and had no interceptions. The Bengals were trailing 10-9 at the end of the third quarter, Burrow completed three straight passes with one touchdown on third-and-9. The quarterback ended the drive with a one-yard touchdown run. Burrow also sprinted from the pocket, and found Wide receiver Tee Higgins to score a 2-point conversion, which gave the Bengals an advantage of 17-10.
The offensive line is an area of concern moving forward. Right tackle Jonah Williams was ruled out of the game because of an injury to his knee. This means that Cincinnati without three starters If Williams along with right guard Alex Cappa cannot play against Buffalo in the divisional round. Burrow was kicked four times.
The under-the-radar statistic: Hubbard’s 98-yard touchdown was the first Fourth-quarter offensive touchdown scored in playoff play since Buffalo Bills’ Jeff Burris scored a pick-six against his opponent, the Jacksonville Jaguars’ Mark Brunell in the wild-card round of 1996. The previous longest fumble recovery during the playoffs had been 93 yards returned by Andy Russell in the 1975 playoffs for the division vs. The Baltimore Colts (meaning Baltimore was the city that Baltimore is in the wrong place with one of two longest-running fumble return in NFL playoff the past.
Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens only a few yards away from delivering one their greatest upsets of the playoffs and showing the world of football that they can beat the competition without Jackson However, Huntley’s fumble, and the subsequent return was the key to the win.
Huntley played a number of big play to help keep the eight-point unbeaten Ravens playing. However, his two errors resulted in 10 points. Jackson was unable to play his sixth consecutive game due an injury to his knee and did not accompany his team for the game.
Define the game in two words The game was another heartbreaking loss. The season-ending loss was an uncharacteristic, brutal pattern for the Ravens the six losses of the season following having either a lead and ending the game tied.
The trend is troubling A cornerback Marcus Peters was a liability when he returned after having missed three games due to injuries to his calf. The first half, Peters”teasing” penalty which he committed on top of Joe Mixon when lying on the top of him resulted in the Bengals’ first touchdown. in the 3rd quarter Peters got a call for defensive play interference during a two-point attempt. He then was beaten by Higgins to convert the play which put the Bengals in front 17-10. Peters is free at the close year.
Awe-inspiring NextGen stat: Huntley’s 41 yard touchdown catch to Demarcus Robinson during the 3rd quarter of play was among the most intriguing moments in the entire game. It was Huntley’s very first attempt in the game that was longer than 10 yards of air, and it was Robinson’s very first deep touchdown during the regular season. Robinson was able to get 4.7 yards after fooling Bengals cornerback Eli Apple on a double move. The likelihood of completing was 62.3 percent.
A statistic that’s not on the radar that’s important The Ravens have a record of 6-1 when playing on the road during their wild card round. Baltimore was the only NFL team to be unbeaten in road wild-card matches.
