Staff Reactions to the Ravens 27-24 victory over the Bengals

The Ravens exit Week 2 undefeated after trouncing the Cincinnati Bengals 27-24 at Paycor Stadium. Below are the reactions from the Baltimore Beatdown staff to the victory.

To head into Cincinnati and win is a challenging feat. No team has done so since Week 1 of last season. And not only did the Ravens do so, they managed to win without five starters. Their replacements all stepped up, too. Patrick Mekari didn’t allow a pressure. Sam Mustipher was never on the receiving end of a blown assignment. Geno Stone intercepted Joe Burrow in the end zone and Gus Edwards steamrolled throughout the game for a touchdown. The gameplan schemed up by the coaching staff must be commended and the execution, from offensive line to Lamar Jackson to the entire defense, shows the Ravens are ready to contend and are capable of taking it to teams in multiple ways. — Kyle Barber

Statement win all the way around. Head coach John Harbaugh took an injury ravaged squad into enemy territory and outexecuted the defending AFC North champs. Efficient offense, swarming and opportunistic defense equaled Ravens football at its finest. There’s a long, grueling season ahead, but this Week 2 “W” will reverberate down the stretch run. — Vasilis Lericos

After looking really rusty in a sloppy win over the Houston Texans last week, the Ravens offense looked like a well-oiled machine for the vast majority of their Week 2 matchup with the Bengals outside of a handful of untimely penalties. Fueled by a dynamic outing from franchise quarterback Lamar Jackson, both through the air and on the ground, their balanced offensive attack was too much for the two-time defending AFC North champions to handle at times and for stretches.

On defense, several of their unheralded players made clutch plays to prevent touchdowns and key conversions. Whether it was Geno Stone’s red zone interception, Ar’Darius Washington and Brandon Stephens using the sidelines to push pass catchers out of bounds, or Rock Ya-Sin ripping a touchdown away from Ja’Marr Chase, the Ravens’ short-handed secondary stepped up in a major way and held Joe Burrow and Co. in check for the most part. — Josh Reed