The Bengals played out yet another thriller on Sunday afternoon but after being handed a golden opportunity to beat the Ravens in overtime, Cincinnati still managed to drop to 1-4 for the season.
Mistakes Cost Bengals In Overtime
Bengals vs Ravens is always a thriller and on Sunday the AFC North sides continued their streak of rollercoaster games, with Baltimore scoring a walk-off field goal in overtime to move to 3-2.
The overtime result doesn’t tell the full story from week 5, as Cincinnati had opportunities to win the game in regular time as well as overtime which they simply couldn’t take.
The Ravens won the toss and therefore kicked off in overtime, knowing that a touchdown would seal a first all-important Divisional win of the season.
After an almost faultless game, Lamar Jackson slipped up. The Ravens QB fumbled the ball in overtime around the halfway line and the Bengals took over with a field goal enough to in the game.
Instead of throwing the ball, the Bengals chose to simply run three downs into traffic before kicking a field goal from 53-yards which would win the game for the hosts.
An unfortunate hold cost the Bengals the game though, as Evan McPherson was forced into a field goal with almost no control on the ball in front of him. The bad hold resulted in a wayward field goal and Baltimore regaining possession.
Following a subdued game by his standards, Derrick Henry burst into life in overtime with a 50+ yard run leaving Justin Tucker with a chipped field goal to seal the road victory for Baltimore.
Offense Shines In Cincinnati
While both defenses struggled to contain on Sunday, the offense on both sides continued to show Super Bowl quality with Joe Burrow and Lamar Jackson once again having MVP performances.
Burrow threw for 392 passing yards and five passing touchdowns, which was a new career high for the former LSU Heisman Trophy winning quarterback.
Jackson was almost just as impressive, with 348 yards for four touchdowns in another magical performance from the Ravens quarterback who yet again pulled a win from nowhere with a near-perfect game.
Ja’Marr Chase was back to his very best in week 5, with ten receptions for 193 yards and two touchdowns in another performance that had fans asking why WR1 is yet to be paid by the Bengals.
Cincinnati is now 1-4 for the season and they now face an almost impossible task to make the playoffs, although it has been done before and this Bengals team certainly hasn’t acted like a 1-4 side.
Zac Taylor’s Bengals have put up 105 points over the last three weeks in the NFL and while they have a Super Bowl calibre offense, their defense currently ranks as one of the worst in the league.
If the Bengals are going to go anywhere near the postseason this year they will need a sharp turnaround in defensive performances as well as results with MNF against the Giants coming up in week 6.
