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.
