Bengals vs. Ravens 2013: Offensive struggles still concerning for Baltimore

The Bengals had poor playcalling in overtime and the Ravens continued to struggle offensively.

Nov 11, 2013, 8:37 PM UTC

Rob Carr

The Baltimore Ravens managed to recover from a Hail Mary reception by Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green that sent the game to overtime, as Justin Tucker kicked a 46-yard field goal that snapped a three-game losing streak for the Ravens.

Still, Kris Jones of SB Nation’s Ravens blog, Baltimore Beatdown, was unimpressed with the Ravens offense that continued to struggle, despite earning the victory:

Even though the result of the game meant the Ravens could add another tally to the win column, it’s hard for me to drop my guard given the way the offensive struggles continue. The finger should primarily be pointed toward the offensive line, which seams to be the stream that crap continues to flow down, stinking up all other subsequent areas of the unit.
If quarterback Joe Flacco can survive the rest of the season without having his ribs broken, I’ll be shocked.

For the Bengals, an exciting moment was spoiled by a failed offensive possession in overtime that set the Ravens up for victory. On Monday, Josh Kirkendall of SB Nation’s Bengals blog, Cincy Jungle, blamed the playcalling in overtime that gave away the win:

Instead of using the team's work-horse back BenJarvus Green-Ellis, who is on the roster to gain those tough yards (despite not really doing it well this year), the Bengals call Giovani Bernard. Perhaps at the time the thought-process made sense. Bernard actually picked up eight yards on the previous play and he's shown a tenacity to escape tackles. And his most recent run before that gained 16. However, the Ravens were defensively balanced on those runs.

The Bengals will look to bounce back from back-to-back overtime losses when they host the Cleveland Browns before a Week 12 bye. The Ravens will travel to face the Chicago Bears as they look to climb back to .500.