The Cincinnati Bengals came out of a bye and somehow managed to look even worse than an 0-8 team while getting laughed out of their own building, losing 49-13 to the Baltimore Ravens.
Cincinnati simply had no answer for the Ravens, and new rookie starting quarterback Ryan Finley was responsible for two Baltimore touchdowns. Here’s a quick look at some notes from the game.
It was over when …
… the Ravens went up 14-0 in the first quarter. It was clear the Bengals didn’t have an answer. The Bengals didn’t score a meaningful touchdown last time out against these Ravens, and that was with Andy Dalton under center.
Quick Hits
— The Ravens needed two plays to reach the Cincinnati 10-yard line at the start of the game. Big plays over the top as Lamar Jackson and Co. did whatever they wanted en route to a touchdown. Same thing on the next drive to make it 14-0 before the first quarter even ended.
— That wound up being the story of the day. The Bengals coughed up 379 total yards on 8.2 yards per play and a four of six mark on third down. The Ravens punted once.
— Ryan Finley led a field-goal drive on his second attempt, at one point taking off for a first down as a runner.
— Joe Mixon showed some signs of life early, perhaps as the Ravens attempted to adjust to Finley. Either way, he had some flashes and finished the day with 114 yards on 30 carries. He was also nice in the passing game which hasn’t always been the case and caught two passes for 37 yards.
— Rookie struggles for Finley, as expected. He threw a pick-six after staring down a target, then later threw a pretty TD pass to Tyler Eifert:
He finished with 167 yards with the touchdown and interception.
— Giovani Bernard left with an injury, which was bad news considering the coaching staff likes him better in pass protection while playing from behind. But he later came back despite a doubtful tag, not that it made a difference.
— Tyler Boyd left with an injury late:
Key Stat
23:49: Baltimore’s time of possession. That speaks to just how miserable the Bengals defense was on the day. The Ravens cut through them like a practice session.
Game Ball: Joe Mixon
Mixon looked improved this week, as noted above. The game script eventually got out of hand, but he showed just what the team wants to see from him for the rest of the season.
Up next: The Bengals take this miserable show on the road to Oakland for a game against a rather strong-looking Raiders team and hope to somehow avoid a 10th loss.
