Getty A.J. Green chases Marcus Peters after an interception.
The Baltimore Ravens drilled the Cincinnati Bengals this past weekend 27-3, and during the game, quite possibly the biggest talking point was the home team’s defense.
On the afternoon, the Ravens were simply swarming, managing to put up 7 sacks while only allowing 3 points on the afternoon. More than that, though, the Ravens flustered the Bengals and didn’t allow Joe Burrow to gain any confidence. The defense may have been so tough that they played a part in causing wideout A.J. Green to check out during the game.
As veteran NFL writer Peter King opined, it was troubling to see Green avoid attempts to make a tackle on an errant throw from Burrow he seemed unprepared for and almost run away from contact. The ball was thrown high, but it seemed there was a definite sense of ambivalence from Green during the play.
Here’s a look:
It’s possible that Green wasn’t ready for the play, but the appearance here isn’t a good one for the veteran wide receiver. Green has to be frustrated with all the losing he has suffered in recent years as a very talented player and this could show merely the tip of the iceberg for the talented pass catcher.
Ravens Defense Hypes Each Other After Bengals Victory
Rookie Patrick Queen was the talk of the game considering what he was able to do. Queen became just the second Baltimore rookie to have a sack, force a fumble and recover a fumble in a game. He was explosive and all over the place for a defense which had 7 total sacks on the day and was swarming all afternoon.
After the game, some of Queen’s teammates began to hype him up for Defensive Rookie of the Year honors.
Patrick Queen DROY
Queen and others then paid it forward, saying Marlon Humphrey was the NFL Defensive Player of the Year and hyping him for the award after his big day knocking the football out and getting after the pocket.
“@marlon_humphrey is the defensive MVP” @Lj_era8
It’s nice to see the camaraderie between all of the sides here. Regardless, it’s true this Ravens team is beginning to look like past editions that rely on a nasty defense and an offense which does just enough to get the job done. If and when the offense clicks, they will make the entire team so much better and more dangerous.
So far, the Ravens defense has been elite which is awesome to see. Green would seem to know about this first hand given his reaction to this play.
Mark Andrews Makes Crazy Catch vs. Bengals
Ravens’ tight end Mark Andrews had 56 yards and a score against the Bengals on Sunday, but that’s not the play he was most known for on the afternoon. Instead, it was a more dangerous looking play in which Andrews flipped in the air after making a grab and almost stuck the landing.
Here’s a look:
Mark Andrews got flipped and almost stuck the landing 🔄
(via @thecheckdown)
As a whole, Andrews has been huge for the Ravens’ offense this season, and the team has needed him to help them move the ball. They’re lucky Andrews was able to walk away from such a dangerous looking play as cool as it seemed in the moment.
Certainly, the play was a stark contrast in effort from the Green play.
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Bengals’ A.J. Green Accused of Quitting on Play vs. Ravens [WATCH]