Cincinnati Bengals: Big takeaways from Week 2 vs. Ravens
By Kenn Korb
Early Turnover Digs A Hole, Late Ones Seal The Deal
A key to every game is making sure your opponent’s drives end unsuccessfully. A major way to do that is by forcing them to conclude early. For the most part, this is done by causing forcing turnovers — something which Cincinnati was able to do rather well for the second consecutive game.
It started with Baltimore’s second offensive drive. Following a punt from each team, the Ravens put Joe Flacco in shotgun formation and had him look deep. He went for a connection with Michael Crabtree, but came away with an interception instead. 2018 second-rounder Jessie Bates showed off the exact sort of playmaking that made the team feel comfortable with moving on from George Iloka so abruptly back in August, corralling the ball and taking it to the Baltimore 16-yard line.
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Right after that interception, Cincinnati went on to score four-straight touchdowns before eventually stacking up a 28-7 lead. A late score before the half and a handful of stalled offensive drives for Cincinnati would end up causing the game to become contentious despite the huge lead racked up early on, but turnover luck would again fall Cincinnati’s way to make sure they won.
A fourth-straight punt after those four touchdown passes by Dalton left Cincinnati up just 28-17 with 4:37 left in the third quarter. A score there would have put Baltimore within one more score of tying or possibly taking the lead. Five plays in, the Ravens were moving forward at a decent pace. A deep pass intended for John Brown then went wrong, and Shawn Williams had another interception for the Bengals.
Despite the two picks, Cincinnati still ended up hanging on for dear life as the game approached its conclusion. Another Cincinnati punt was followed by a Baltimore touchdown, and even though Cincinnati would finally score again right after, the field goal from that drive left the Ravens within one score with 2:59 remaining.
Fortunately, the defense stepped up again when needed most. Two Flacco incompletions left Baltimore with a long third down, and just as he was about to let loose on a deep bomb Williams was able to hit the ball loose in time for a fumble which his teammate Jordan Willis would recover. From there, a quick field goal by Cincinnati would put them up by the final margin, leaving Baltimore too little time to complete any comeback hopes.
The turnovers won’t always be on Cincinnati’s side, but just as they were in Week 1 this aspect of the game became a major catalyst in why the Bengals were able to get up on and hold off their rivals.