Sickening. That’s the only way to describe the Bengals’ brutal, humiliating, deflating 41 - 38 overtime loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
As the Bengals lined up for a game-clinching field goal in overtime, the game was in hand. Evan McPherson has made a name for himself burying game-winning field goals in the clutch-est of moments. 53 yards? For McPherson, that’s a chip shot – only this time, it wasn’t up to him.
Ryan Rehkow, the Bengals rookie punter who made a name for himself this season with his powerful, booming punts, bobbled the hold. McPherson’s kick went wide left. Disaster.
One play later, Ravens running back Derrick Henry was rumbling for 51 yards. On the next play, kicker Justin Tucker split the uprights from 24-yards out. Ballgame.
That’s how quick the Bengals went from sure winners to dejected losers. A bad hold, a big run, and a short kick. The Ravens escape to go to 3 - 2. The Bengals take another step back and sit at 1 - 4.
Before the game, Joe Burrow said he’d need to be “damn near perfect” to beat the Ravens He almost was. He threw for 392 yards and five touchdowns, two of which went to Ja'Marr Chase (who had ten catches for 193 yards), and two more went to Tee Higgins. But Burrow also threw a horrible interception in the fourth quarter that ended a potentially game-deciding drive and gave the Ravens a chance to send the game to overtime. Like I said, almost perfect.
On the flip side, Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson was every bit Burrow's equal. He was impossible to bring down today, stiff-arming multiple Bengals defenders to avoid sacks and buying himself time to dissect a thin Bengals secondary. He had four touchdown passes himself. He too was almost perfect. Jackson's horrific fumble on a botched snap nearly cost the Ravens the game – but thanks to a bad hold, it didn’t.
Coming into the contest, the Bengals knew they had to stop the run, and for over 60 minutes, they held firm. They limited Henry and company to a respectable 124 yards – that is, until Henry burst out of his game-long slump to snatch victory right out of the Bengals' grasp. The Bengals almost played the exact game they needed to, but they couldn't get out of their own way.
The Bengals have to be shell shocked. I am. This was incomprehensible. McPherson doesn’t miss these. All that stood in the way was a stupid, pitiful hold. Rehkow couldn’t do it. The Bengals couldn’t do it. They can’t do the simple things. They don’t have IT this year.
That’s why they’re 1 - 4. It’s not a matter of talent. The offense might be the best it’s ever been under Burrow, and it’s not enough. The Ravens made a horrendous error in the waning minutes, and it wasn’t enough. The Bengals put forth a heroic effort today, and it wasn’t enough. It’s back to square one – again.
Of course, the Bengals season isn’t over. Not with twelve games left to play. But there’s something very wrong in Cincinnati. Four losses, four winnable games. For one reason or another, the Bengals couldn’t pull through in any of them.
In the most critical moments this season, the Bengals haven’t been up to the task. That’s not the team they were a couple years ago, but it’s the team they are today. They’re now 0 - 3 at home. They’re buried at the bottom of the division. Any pre-season optimism is long gone. And the little hope that still remains is dwindling fast.
Comments