The Bengals came out mostly injury free from last night’s loss to Baltimore, but their quarterback is dealing with one minor issue.
Head coach Zac Taylor said in his Friday news conference that Burrow is dealing with some left arm soreness.
“Bruised, yeah. I mean, he took some good hits,” Taylor said, adding it’s his understanding that Burrow doesn’t have a rib issue. “But I think just talking to him, the left arm was more just a hit, bruise. So, soreness.”
The Ravens officially recorded 13 quarterback hits on Thursday night, including three sacks — all by Nnamdi Madubuike.
Burrow finished the contest 34-of-56 passing for 428 yards with four touchdown sand no interceptions.
Burrow and the Bengals will have some extra time to heal before heading to Los Angeles to play the Chargers next Sunday night.
Two-time MVP Lamar Jackson might or might not win it a third time this year. But there’s another three-letter label that can be attached to him: N-E-O.
Lamar is The One.
For as great as he’s been during his five-plus years as a starter, Jackson has found another level. An ability to harness his skills, to see what’s happening before it happens. To slow down everything around him and manipulate the situation to suit his objectives.
He’s doing it as a passer and as a runner. Last night, when the Ravens snapped out of a funk that trickled into the third quarter, Lamar became unstoppable.
He had 71 passing yards and nine rushing yards in the first half. In the second half, he had 219 passing yards, three touchdowns, and a scramble that officially gained 10 yards but felt like a 50-yarder. It seemed a lot longer than 10 yards for good reason; Lamar retreated to the 32 before weaving through traffic to the one.
It looked less like a Lamar Jackson run and more something from the Patrick Mahomes playbook. Patience. Acceleration. Deceleration. Shiftiness. Movements that understand how his body fits within and among those who would tackle him or push him out of bounds.
In other words, it was some real Matrix shit.
He’s combining knowledge, experience, and brainpower to go along with his size, speed, and athleticism. It’s a sweet spot that all great quarterbacks eventually find.
The game has slowed down for Lamar. Lamar hasn’t.
MVP. Neo. The One.
Whatever you call him, plenty of owners have to be quietly kicking themselves for not trying to sign Jackson to an offer sheet when they had the chance. They justified the cold shoulder by expressing concerns that he wouldn’t be able to keep playing at the same level.
They were right. He has actually gotten better.
They had it. Until they didn’t.
Entering Thursday night’s game against the Bengals, the Ravens had 42 straight regular-season games with 100 or more team rushing yards. The all-time record of 43, shared by the Ravens and the Steelers, could have been tied last night.
And it was. Until it wasn’t.
The Ravens had 100 yards. They’d done it. It was over. The only question was whether they’d break the record they share with themselves and the Steelers next week, when they play the Steelers.
But it wasn’t to be. After the Bengals failed to convert a late two-point conversion and attempted an unsuccessful onside kick, the Ravens took a knee. And the minus-one yard result from Lamar Jackson dropped the total to 99.
Some would say it’s a fitting bookend to the way the Ravens got to 43 games the last time around. In garbage time, when victory formation would have ended a win against the Broncos, the Ravens ran the ball with three seconds to play in order to get to 100 yards.
“I thought it was kind of bullshit, but I expected it from them,” Broncos coach Vic Fangio said at the time. “Thirty-seven years in pro ball, and I’ve never seen anything like that. But it was to be expected, and we expected it. . . . I just know how they operate. That’s just their mode of operation there. Player safety is secondary.”
It’s unknown whether the Ravens considered risking a Joe Pisarcik outcome in order to ensure another triple-digit rushing performance. Wisely, they didn’t do it.
The record is a far cry from the Joe DiMaggio hitting streak. Most don’t attach any significance to it. Fortunately for the Ravens, they didn’t attach enough importance to it to roll the dice on possibly blowing the victory over the Bengals.
After Sunday’s win over the Raiders, much time was devoted to the presence of a sideline scowl on the face of Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow. After Thursday night’s loss to the Ravens, and specifically while picking through the aftermath of the game on Friday’s PFT Live with Rodney Harrison, a light flickered regarding another way that Burrow needs to begin expressing his displeasure.
Put simply, Burrow needs to be more of a butthole when calls don’t go his way.
Many criticized Tom Brady for incessant whining and complaining and ultimately politicking for calls. But guess what? It worked. By wearing out the officials for failing to throw flags for fouls committed against him, they knew — even if at a subconscious level — that there would be a cost for not taking care of #Tommy.
Burrow, in contrast, is cool. Calm. Collected. He doesn’t confront the officials after bad calls. That makes it hard for him to get good calls.
It came to a head last night when he was clearly struck forcibly in the head on the fateful two-point conversion attempt. Burrow didn’t say boo about it. He never does. And that might be why he doesn’t get calls.
Remember when referee Ed Hochuli supposedly told Cam Newton he’s not old enough to get certain calls? It’s not just age. It’s willingness to engage, angrily if need be, with those who ultimately decide whether to remove a yellow flag and drop it.
Put Brady in Burrow’s shoes in last night’s game. The officials missed a blatant face mask foul against the quarterback early in the final Cincinnati drive. Burrow didn’t say a word about it. Brady would have lost his shit.
Brady would have confronted the referee, jerking even more violently on his own face mask to demonstrate what had happened. And Brady wouldn’t have let it go, at any point on that drive.
After every play, he would have had something to say to referee Clete Blakeman. Pointed or sarcastic or snarky or even funny. And it would have forced Blakeman and his colleagues to watch more closely when, for example, Brady (Burrow) took a forcible blow to the head on the two-point play.
That’s why some coaches and players work the officials. While at a certain point it can be counterproductive, there’s a way to needle them just enough to shame them into doing a better job the next time around. Brady’s approach worked. Burrow’s, based on what we saw last night, isn’t.
The Ravens pass defense had another rough night against the Bengals on Thursday.
Joe Burrow threw for 428 yards and four touchdowns, including a five-yard toss to Ja’Marr Chase, who had 264 yards and three touchdowns, in the final minute that pulled the Bengals within a point of the home team. The Bengals went for two, but couldn’t convert — with some help from the officials — and the Ravens escaped with a 35-34 win.
After the game, cornerback Marlon Humphrey said “wins are getting harder to enjoy based off what we’re doing in the pass defense” and noted that the team has been putting everything on the shoulders of quarterback Lamar Jackson. The Ravens trailed 21-7 at one point, but Jackson threw for 197 yards and three touchdowns to make up for the defensive shortcomings.
“We’re like the little brothers right now. [Lamar is] carrying us, which is cool,” Humphrey said, via the team’s website. “But it’s not. I want to be able to end the game on defense.”
Jackson’s efforts might position him to win a third MVP at the end of the season, but any hopes of winning the biggest team prize in the game of football might be pipe dreams unless the defense takes a major step forward in the coming weeks.
