Bengals Postgame Quick Hits | Joe Burrow Shoulders Blame; Myles Murphy Grabs Lamar’s Gold Jacket As Defense Slugs It Out
Tone Setter
The game began as if the Bengals were going to replicate what happened in Baltimore Thanksgiving Night.
On the game’s first series, they manhandled Ravens running back Derrick Henry for a two-yard loss on one of safety Jordan Battle’s team-leading eight tackles and then forced a punt with the first of edge Myles Murphy’s career-high two sacks.
Then the Bengals rattled off 10 plays from their 20 to the Ravens 25, where they faced a third-and-four. Only after Chase dropped a quick second-and-four over the middle that may have got them inside the 10.
After going 10-for-12 on third down last week in Buffalo, this one set the tone for a day they would convert only three of 15.
After offsetting penalties erased Chase’s illegal shift, Burrow took a 15-yard sack out of field-goal range when Ravens linebacker Tavius Robinson lined up on the line and shot past rookie left guard Dylan Fairchild as the Bengals went into a slide protection.
“A mental mistake by me,” Burrow said. “I made the wrong call.”
The next time the Bengals reached the Ravens 25, it was early in the fourth quarter, they were down, 17-0, and the same script unfolded.
Robinson, playing his first game in two months, again wreaked havoc after left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. was called for a false start and wide receiver Mitchell Tinsley dropped a touchdown pass in the right corner of the end zone.
Edge Kyle Van Noy then faked a blitz up the middle and when Fairchild went to engage him, Van Noy dropped back into the middle. Robinson shot through the hole and Burrow had to unload it. Van Noy picked it, and he ended up handing it to safety Alhoi Gilman for a combined 95-yard pick-six.
“They were getting good pressure. Some uncharacteristic mental mistakes on my end, and some unforced errors,” is how Burrow summed up the day. Asked what Baltimore did differently than 17 days ago, he said, “They blitzed less. Their front four were able to get a little more pressure, so credit to them.”
Burrow was extremely hard on himself. “This one’s on me,” he told the press.
Before he took the blame in front of the media, he stood up behind closed doors in front of his teammates and took the blame. They, in turn, rallied around him.
“Not surprising. That’s who he is. Great leader, great teammate. Great player,” said right guard Dalton Risner. “But that’s not him. Thanks for the sentiment Joe, but no way. One guy can’t take it all. I’m speaking for myself. I have things to clean up.”
Center and captain Ted Karras: “Everyone is to blame for 24-0. Our defense gave up 17 points. That should be enough to beat the Baltimore Ravens. Everyone is indicted in that.”
