The last four games of the season have been all about the Baltimore Ravens re-establishing their dominant 2019 selves, and they put an exclamation point on the regular season with a 38-3 win over the Cincinnati Bengals. From an unstoppable run game to an efficient passing attack to a stingy defense, the Ravens had it all working in this one, and they head to the playoffs as dangerous as ever.
Editor's note: All of PFF's grades and advanced stats from this game will be finalized and made available to ELITE subscribers within 24 hours of the final whistle.
Story of the Game
It was a quintessential Ravens rushing attack, as Baltimore finished with 404 yards on 54 carries, led by rookie running back J.K. Dobbins and his 160 yards on 13 carries. Dobbins picked up 117 of those yards after contact while forcing three missed tackles.
Of course, quarterback Lamar Jackson is the catalyst for the rushing attack, and he had 97 yards of his own on 11 carries, doing his usual fine work both in the designed run game and as a scrambler. In the passing game, Jackson finished 10 of 18 for 113 yards and three touchdowns and threw a beauty of a post route for a 43-yard score to Miles Boykin. He also found WR Marquise Brown with a well-placed touchdown on a scramble.
The Baltimore run blocking deserves plenty of credit for the dominant rushing attack, as OT D.J. Fluker and guard Bradley Bozeman had strong days, while fullback Patrick Ricard and a slew of receivers all got into the mix in the run game.
On the other side, the Bengals run defense was torched, and that won’t help their No. 24 PFF grade against the run coming into the game.
Offensively, Bengals QB Brandon Allen couldn’t duplicate last week’s outstanding effort, completing just six of 21 attempts for 48 yards and two interceptions. His worst throw of the game was an errant end-zone attempt that was picked off by CB Marcus Peters, who didn’t allow a catch on three targets.
Cincinnati couldn’t get anything going offensively, as the Baltimore defense cracked down at all levels of the field.
Edge defender Tyus Bowser continued his recent stretch of strong play and made plays in all facets. He’s making a name for himself as free agency looms.
Speaking of free agency, Bengals EDGE Carl Lawson may be the best pass-rusher on the market, and he was the lone bright spot for Cincinnati with multiple pressures, including a QB hit.
It was yet another statement game for the Ravens, who are rolling into the playoffs as hot as any team in the league.
Rookie Watch
For the Ravens, WR Devin Duvernay had a 22-yard run and no catches on his 30 snaps.
Center Trystan Colon-Castillo had just 57 career snaps coming into the game, but he was excellent in both the run and pass game.
Dobbins was the offensive star for Baltimore, highlighted by his 72-yard touchdown.
LB Patrick Queen had one of his best games against the run, finishing with two run-game tackles and a stop on just 30 total snaps.
For the Bengals, linebackers Akeem Davis-Gaither and Markus Bailey as well as EDGE Khalid Kareem all played significant snaps against the run — they were part of the poor overall performance by the Cincinnati defense.
WR Tee Higgins played just three snaps before leaving the game due to a hamstring injury.
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