All Aboard The Cincinnati Blame Train
Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images
The Cincinnati Bengals’ path to the playoffs got dramatically steeper on Thursday night, as they fell to 4-6 after a back-and-forth affair with the Baltimore Ravens resulted a final score of 35-34. Cincinnati’s dynamic duo of Joe Burrow (34-for-56, 428 yards, 4 touchdowns) and Ja’Marr Chase (11 receptions, 264 yards, 3 touchdowns) heavily produced, but it wasn’t enough to hold off the Ravens’ offense, which put up 21 points in a come from behind effort in the fourth quarter.
But the talk on Monday was the final play for the Bengals, which came after Ja’Marr Chase scored his third touchdown of the gamey. Arguably, the two-point conversion attempt saw the Ravens rough Burrow, then drag down Mike Gesicki as he tried to leap for a ball right in his catch radius.
#Bengals go for two points and lead — they can’t get it.
No call again for Cincinnati, Prime broadcast crew says they missed another roughing the passer on Burrow and defensive holding on Mike Gesicki.
Cincy going to lose a tough one 35-34.
Makes you wonder about the calls. pic.twitter.com/zDzP50qDtg
— Joey DeBerardino (@JoeyDeBerardino) November 8, 2024
That’s not just the homer take, either. Robert Griffin III put the referees on blast, even breaking out the all caps to plead his case. “The Cincinnati Bengals should have had another opportunity to convert on that extra point. Two clear penalties were missed and the hit to the face could have easily been called a foul if replay review was a rule. CHANGE THE RULE FOR CLEAR AND OBVIOUS MISSED PENALTIES IN THE LAST 2 MINS OF THE GAME.”
The Bengals were visibly frustrated with the non-call, and rightfully so.
“It was clearly defensive holding before the pass was in flight, which should have been called,” former NFL referee Terry McAulay said. “And that does look like forcible contact to the head of the quarterback. That’s a personal … That’s roughing the passer and it should have been called.”
But blaming the referees is too easy to do, and a far cry from the level of accountability needed for a 4-6 team. Did the Bengals get a raw deal on the two-point try? Sure did. But here is a list of things the Bengals do that the refs had nothing to do with:
- Chase Brown’s fumble, which gave the Ravens an easy TD to make it 21-14.
- Allow a gimme 84-yard touchdown to Tylan Wallace
- Throw two deep passes on 4th & 2 while the Bengals were winning and deep in Ravens territory
- Going for the two-point conversion to begin with
And that’s not counting, say, the 11 penalties the Bengals committed throughout the game.
The frustration with the officiating on the final play is more than justified. That said, the Bengals made crucial mistakes, particularly in the second half, which put them in the position where missed calls on a two-yard play could determine the game. Even with Baltimore committing three penalties (roughing the passer, face mask, offsides — all called!) in a 17-second span on the final drive, Cincinnati couldn’t capitalize on the opportunity to ice the game while they had numerous chances to do so.
Here’s what else we learned from Thursday:
The Book’s Out On Cincy’s Pass Rush
The bright side of the defense? Baltimore did not accumulate the rushing stats that they are normally capable of putting up. The Bengals’ improved run defense (and, uh, maybe the leaky secondary) meant that Derrick Henry was “limited” to 68 yards and a touchdown, and Lamar Jackson “only” rushed for 33 yards.
However, Cincinnati’s pass rush has been largely nonexistent outside of Trey Hendrickson this season. Due to the offensive line giving extra attention to the NFL’s sack leader, Thursday’s game was the second time in three weeks that the Bengals’ pass rush was held without a sack.
The Bengals iDL had 72 total pass rushing opportunities vs. the Ravens.
PFF charted them w/ 3 total wins (a win rate of 4.2%).
Without BJ Hill, they had 44 rushes w/ 0 wins (a win rate of 0.0%).
They need 2 Top 100 picks w/ strong pass rushing production in the ‘25 draft.
— Gridiron Grading (@GridironGrading) November 8, 2024
The Bengals (correctly) chose to address the running back position at the trade deadline by acquiring RB Khalil Herbert from the Chicago Bears, but chose not to upgrade their pass rush. As a result, Baltimore had few issues double-teaming Hendrickson all night, giving Jackson ample time to make plays both in and out of the pocket. Cincy’s continued inability to pressure the quarterback was a big reason why Jackson had a 141.4 passer rating on Thursday.
Despite all this…
The Bengals Proved They’re Still Good
Life doesn’t feel good in the Queen City right now. Bengals fans had their hopes dashed after very nearly coming away with a victory that would’ve climbed them out of the 0-3 hole they dug for themselves. At 4-6, the chances of making the playoffs seem more slim by the day.
That said, on a national stage, the Bengals once again showed that they can go toe-to-toe with the NFL’s best teams.
Joe Burrow. Short week. Prime time. Thursday night. In Baltimore. No Tee Higgins. No left tackle. No backup RB. Sacked thrice. Ravens had 13 QB hits. Still threw for 428 yards and four TDs. Put some respect on this man's name. #Bengals #WhoDey 🐅 pic.twitter.com/TFtoyMrE88
— Matt Fitzgerald (@MattFitz_gerald) November 8, 2024
Of course, the Bengals are still a flawed team. Outside of Hendrickson, the pass rush is a deep concern. Injuries still continue to haunt players like Orlando Brown Jr. and Tee Higgins. The “we were one play away from winning” mindset has been attached to entirely too many losses within the fanbase. However, with the elite offense still showing out, the Bengals showed they can remain competitive, even if the wins and losses column doesn’t entirely reflect that.
It remains to be seen whether or not the Bengals can make a late-season run, because time is running out. Cincinnati only has one game remaining in the calendar month of November (a Sunday night matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers), but Zac Taylor’s squad showed that they at least have what it takes to regroup for the 2024 season’s home stretch.
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