Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow has thrown a pick-six in the fourth quarter for the second straight week.
Ravens linebacker Kyle Van Noy dropped off the line and snagged a pass intended for Bengals tight end Mike Gesicki on the Ravens’ 5-yard line. Van Noy handed the ball off to safety Alohi Gilman after running 11 yards and Gilman took it the rest of the way for a touchdown.
The score pushed the Ravens’ lead to 24-0 with 7:38 left to play in Cincinnati.
It was Burrow’s second interception of the game and it came when it finally looked like the Bengals might have some fight in them on a freezing day in Ohio. Thanks to Van Noy and Gilman, it now looks like the Bengals’ flirtation with playoff contention will come to an end.
Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson came into Sunday’s game against the Bengals on a five-game streak without having multiple touchdown passes in the same game, but he brought that to an end late in the first half.
Jackson hit wide receiver Zay Flowers streaking up the sideline for a 28-yard touchdown that put the Ravens up 14-0 in the final minute of the second quarter. Jackson connected with running back Rasheen Ali for another score and he’s also made some plays with his feet by picking up 26 yards on a pair of runs.
The Bengals got the ball to midfield with seven seconds to play in the half, but Joe Burrow threw an incompletion and was sacked before he could deliver a Hail Mary on the final snap of the half.
Jackson threw an interception before his two touchdown passes and Burrow also got picked off when a high pass to Ja’Marr Chase went off the receiver’s hands. Burrow also lost 15 yards on a third down sack to knock the team out of field goal range on the first Bengals possession, so it’s probably fair to say he hasn’t found the fun that’s eluded him throughout this season.
The Ravens ruled linebacker Teddye Buchanan out with a knee injury while Bengals tight end Noah Fant and wide receiver Charlie Jones are both questionable with ankle injuries.
The Ravens had a tough time getting things going on a frigid day in Cincinnati, but they found their groove in the second quarter.
Quarterback Lamar Jackson ran for 14 yards and hit wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins for 32 yards to get the Ravens into Bengals territory and then he beat a blitz by flicking a short pass to running back Rasheen Ali. Ali turned upfield and sprinted into the end zone for a 30-yard touchdown to put Baltimore up 7-0 with less than five minutes to play in the first half.
The Ravens only picked up nine yards on their first two drives and their third ended when Bengals safety Jordan Battle picked off a Jackson pass.
That interception came after a high pass by Joe Burrow to wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase went off Chase’s hands and into the mitts of Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey, so both teams have been struggling to put it together thus far on Sunday.
The Bengals badly need a win on Sunday, in order to maintain their razor-thin playoff hopes. They have a secret weapon, who really isn’t a secret.
Receiver Ja’Marr Chase averages 115.6 yards per game against the Ravens. That’s the highest average for any player against one opponent, including postseason, in NFL history, with a minimum of 10 games.
On Thanksgiving night, Chase had seven catches for 110 yards against Baltimore, in a loss.
Baltimore’s defense will be able to pay extra attention to Chase today, given that receiver Tee Higgins is out due to a concussion.
If Joe Burrow isn’t having fun playing football today, he won’t be alone. The fans at Cincinnati won’t be having fun when they get to their assigned locations for the game.
The Bengals didn’t remove the snow from the seats. The relevant rule clearly requires them to do so.
From the NFL’s playing field specifications: “Each home club is responsible for having a snow removal plan in place and ensuring that its stadium has adequate snow removal equipment available. Snow and ice must be removed from the stadium before all games. This applies to the playing field, sidelines, seating bowl, aisles, pedestrian ramps, walkways, parking lots, etc. This also applies to the sidelines; snow may not be pushed into piles and remain against stadium walls so that it interferes with standard game or sideline operations.”
The attached photo was taken from the field, before the game. Obviously, no one paid for the seats at Paycor Stadium to be de-snowed.
Said the Bengals, when reached for comment by PFT: “Seat aisles were prioritized and are in good shape. Seats are easily wiped off and ushers are equipped to help there.”
Regardless, the rule says what it says. We’ll see what the NFL has to say about the failure of the Bengals to fully comply with the snow-removal rules.
