Ravens vs. Bengals final: MVP, winners and losers

This AFC North contest is over and with a final score of 23-17, good guys. The Ravens coasted in the fourth quarter on a nine-minute drive which lead to a late field goal, but Andy Dalton responded with a drive of his own, capping it off with a two-yard rushing touchdown. Unfortunately for Bengals fans, a failed onside kick cancelled the comeback hopes.

MVP: QB Lamar Jackson

Jackson held down the fort today with his passing and rushing attack, in true dual-threat nature. Without his favorite wide receiver, Marquise Brown, he aired it out and completed passes to nine different targets.

Winners

Justin Tucker — A worrisome day for special teams left Tucker unaffected. He completed multiple kicks, including a 49-yard attempt which banked in off the upright.

Mark Ingram — Another game, another rushing touchdown for No. 21. He’s up to seven touchdowns on the season.

Offensive line — The Ravens don’t produce over 250 rushing yards without some good blocking. They also allowed only a single sack on Jackson.

Marlon Humphrey — The best cornerback in the NFL continues his dominance with a fantastic game against the Bengals. He bullied Tyler Boyd all game and hauled in his second interception of the season.

Gus Edwards — This big man is so much fun to watch. He bulldozes through defenders and always moves the chains.

Tyus Bowser — The first sack of the game comes from Bowser, just 54 minutes into the game. He has been on the receiving end of a lot of coach criticism, so it’s good to see him make the play.

Chuck Clark — His first start was impressive. Zero big-shots his way and he led the defense well with the green dot.

Seth Roberts — Good to see him getting involved with the offense after struggling this season. Hopefully his chemistry with Jackson improves going forward.

Run defense — Joe Mixon finished with eight carries for 10 yards. You love to see it.

Losers*

*These players had a bad game. This shouldn’t be taken too literally. This is a critique article of the game today.

Bradley Bozeman — Geez, this was ugly. Penalty after penalty.

Mark Andrews — 99 receiving yards is great but a fumble to give the Bengals another chance to score before halftime was bad. The hurdling giveth and the hurdling taketh away.

Maurice Canady — This man fought hard today but Auden Tate played like A.J. Green. Thankfully, Canady stuck to his/the gameplan of, “Nothing deep,” and it paid off. He was picked on early and often but that’s what is going to happen when the corner opposite of you is Marlon Humphrey.

Morgan Cox — I don’t know if I’ve ever put him in this category but he didn’t have the best game. His snap on a punt bounced off the turf and Sam Koch was forced to adjust. Koch also had to adjust after a off-target snap for a Tucker field goal, too.