The Cincinnati Bengals were tasked with their toughest game yet. Guess what happened? They stormed into Baltimore and put a massive beatdown on the 5-1 Ravens, dropping them to 5-2 and moving up to 5-2 themselves. This puts them atop the AFC North and has shut a lot of people up regarding the legitness of this team.
Let’s take a look at three quick takeaways from Cinncinati’s blowout win over the Ravens.
Defense is no joke
The Bengals’ defense was a little shaky in Weeks 4 and 5 but they weren’t phased at all by the Ravens’ elusive offense that is pretty much entirely made up of Lamar Jackson. The Ravens signal-caller played well but it wasn’t enough to keep this defense on their toes.
Cincinnati’s pass rush was star in this one, sacking Jackson five times and making sure those came in clutch situations. Trey Hendrickson has been a difference-maker for the defense and Sam Hubbard had his best game of the 2021 season.
Sam Hubbard having a day for the #Bengals ... 2.5 sacks and batted down a pass
— Richard Skinner (@Local12Skinny) October 24, 2021
We wondered if the defense would step up in games like these and the answer is a resounding YES. Yes, they can step up and yes they can make the Ravens offense look bad. That’s exactly what they did on Sunday and it was an awesome sight.
No one has an answer for Chase
The Offensive Rookie of the Year race was put to an end with Ja’Marr Chase’s performance in this one. He finished with eight catches for 201 yards and a touchdown, which went for 82 yards and really blew the door open for the good guys.
At this point, no one has had any answers when it comes to stopping Chase. He only keeps getting better and with the rookie quarterbacks struggling, there’s no real need to continue this so-called race. It’s his title.
This team is for real
People criticized the Bengals to this point because “ThEy HaDn’T bEaT aNyOnE gOoD”. Well, guess what? THEY JUST BEAT THE SO-CALLED BEST TEAM IN THE AFC.
Not only that, but they smoked them! The Bengals went into Baltimore and gave the Ravens a spanking of a lifetime. It was fantastic to watch.
With the win, the Bengals vault into not just first place in the AFC North but first place in the entire AFC. That’s right, folks — If the season ended today, Cincinnati would be the one seed. They’d have a first-round BYE in the playoffs. Unreal.
If the #Bengals can hold on to this lead, no matter what else happens today, the #Bengals will wake up as the No. 1 seed in the AFC tomorrow.
— Jay Morrison (@JayMorrisonATH) October 24, 2021
Pretty remarkable.
This was such a big statement game for the Cincinnati Bengals, who went from being “unproven” to now being at the top of the pack in the AFC.
Bet ya didn’t see that coming, huh?