MIKE BURKE
Allegany Communications Sports
Baltimore sports fans needed some good news, and on Sunday they got some. But they sure had to work for it.
Having to overcome a late second-quarter comedy of errors, led by their head coach John Harbaugh, when they nearly wrote their own demise, the Baltimore Ravens turned the tables on the Cincinnati Bengals, and themselves, by not blowing a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter this time, but instead coming back from two 10-point deficits for a stunning 41-38 AFC North overtime victory before an exasperated Cincinnati crowd.
As stupid as the Ravens’ play and decision-making were in the second quarter, their play was completely clutch in the fourth quarter and beyond: Lamar Jackson’s insane touchdown pass, Tylan Wallace’s 3rd-and-10 catch, Marlon Humphrey’s interception, Justin Tucker’s 56-yard field goal, Nnamdi Madubuike’s sack and, of course, Derrick Henry’s 51-yard run in the overtime to set up Tucker’s game-winning field goal from 24 yards.
This came two quarters after, while leading 14-7, Wallace failed to field a punt, allowing it to be downed at the Ravens 2, the offensive line whiffed on blocks on the ensuing safety, the offense, with a 14-9 lead, rushed to get a play off before the 2-minute warning, Harbaugh called timeout before a 3rd-and-10 with 55 seconds left to allow the Bengals to save all three of their timeouts, and the secondary allowed the Bengals’ Ja’Marr Chase to get free to end the half and put them behind, 17-14.
Things weren’t much better to start the third quarter, as linebacker Roquan Smith just missed catching a deflected Joe Burrows pass on Cincinnati’s opening possession that could have been an interception for touchdown as the entire left sideline was open. Burrows, Chase and Tee Higgins then took advantage as they again torched the Ravens secondary to take a 24-14 lead.
In the fourth quarter, Jackson made what might be the most ridiculously spectacular play of his career thus far to bring the Ravens to within 38-35, when deep in Cincinnati territory, he fumbled one of the handful of snaps he would fumble on the day, recover, stiff-arm and elude two defenders rolling to his right, then jump off his left foot along the sideline, and from mid-air hit Likely between two defenders in the end zone before being drilled out of bounds..
The Ravens defense then finally delivered a stop when Humphrey picked off Burrows to set up Tucker’s 56-yard field goal to tie, which in itself, has no longer been the ho-hum feat that Tucker had made it seem to be over his previous decade of greatness.
Things seemed to have turned for the Ravens as they won the toss for OT and took the ball. But Jackson again fumbled the snap, this time with the Bengals recovering.
Things had suddenly turned afoul, except the Bengals decided to play it close for the game-winning field goal. It might have been a good strategy, but a muffed hold spoiled it as Bengals kicker Evan McPherson had no chance to make the kick.
Henry then took matters into his own hands, taking the student-body pitch down the left sideline for 51 yards to set up Tucker’s game winner.
It was an electrifying moment for the Ravens given how poorly they played and coached in the second quarter, and it is their third win in a row and puts them in a tie for first place in the North with Pittsburgh, who fell to Dallas Sunday night, 20-17.
And while it may seem all is splendid in the Land of Pleasant Living, there is still a long way to go, as the Ravens defense is playing like anything other than a Ravens defense less than a week after doing so against the Buffalo Bills.
Well, they need to recalibrate quickly, as the Maryland state championship game is just five days away.
That’s right, the Landover/Washington Commanders, who are 4-1 and in first place in the NFC East, will be in Baltimore Sunday for the state title game, and they come into this game in a way they haven’t been able to since the days of a healthy RG3.
Five games into his rookie season, quarterback Jayden Daniels is already one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL.
He has yet to be fazed, he has yet to blink, he has yet to have a rookie moment and is absolutely spectacular to watch. He can do it all, and the plays he makes? It’s reminiscent of when Lamar Jackson took over the Ravens offense. Nobody’s eyes were trained for seeing what they were seeing and, as we saw on Sunday, continue to see – and that means from both of them, as Daniels, who was a Heisman Trophy winner as well, has so far shown himself to be the same kind of player.
Should be a great game. If nothing else, a heck of a lot of fun.
It seems we have lots to talk about.
Mike Burke writes about sports and other stuff for Allegany Communications. He began covering sports for the Prince George’s Sentinel in 1981 and joined the Cumberland Times-News sports staff in 1984, serving as sports editor for over 30 years. Contact him at [email protected]. Follow him on X @MikeBurkeMDT