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Baltimore’s 19-17 win over the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday night wasn’t pretty. But for Ravens fans, it sure was beautiful.
Because just when it seemed that the team would frivolously surrender another lead at home, quarterback Lamar Jackson, who’d been having a pedestrian game up until that point, transformed into “Lamarvelous” and reminded everyone how truly special he is.
Thirteen plays. Seventy-five yards. The Bengals fourth quarter drive ate 7:44 off the clock when quarterback Joe Burrow’s 1-yard touchdown run gave Cincinnati a 17-16 lead with 1:58 left in the game.
Jackson trotted onto the field as the team once again — the Ravens blew 17- and 21-point leads in their last two home games to Miami and Buffalo — looked as if they were going to squander another golden opportunity for victory.
The Bengals pass rush had effectively neutralized him for most of the game. Rare were instances where Jackson could comfortably drop back in the pocket to survey the defense.
There was a restlessness in his body language, his signature composure missing. He looked discombobulated, like a Busta Rhymes collaboration with Ol’ Dirty Bastard.
The man who consistently dazzles looked frazzled, constantly forced to throw out of bounds to avoid sacks. And when receivers were wide open, Jackson unleashed some errant throws that were high and wide, missing a few key completions that should have gone for touchdowns
The Cincinnati defense had Lamar on the run like Dr. Richard Kimble in “The Fugitive.”
And now in the waning seconds of another game in which the Ravens squandered an early lead, staring at a potential losing record five games into the season, Action Jackson told everyone who’d listen, like Stevie Lucas told Uncle Frank in “American Gangster,” “I’m good enough on a bad day, Jack!”
Starting their final drive after a touchback with less than two minutes remaining, Jackson used every weapon in his arsenal to drive the ball down the field and get Justin Tucker in position for his eventual game-winning field goal as time expired.
Operating out of the shotgun, he found his favorite target, tight end Mark Andrews, for a seven-yard gain on first down. On second down, same thing. Andrews hauled in another short pass for eight yards.
With 1:14 left, the Bengals were caught with too many men on the field, setting up a 1st & 5 on their own 45-yard line. Jackson took the ensuing snap and dashed through the middle of the defense for 19 yards, setting the Ravens up at the Cincinnati 36-yard line.
Three short runs set Tucker up for his game-winning 43-yard field goal as the team breathed a sigh of relief while simultaneously jumping for joy.
This wasn’t a win that they simply wanted. It was one that they unquestionably needed.
They’d lost five consecutive home games. The Bengals owned them last year, with Burrow rendering the defense as invisible as Urkel’s parents in “Family Matters” as he shredded them for a combined 941 yards and seven touchdown in their two matchups.
But thanks to an inspired effort by the much-maligned defense and the law firm of Jackson & Tucker, the Ravens now sit in first place in the AFC North. Tucker continues to shock and amaze with his consistency and accuracy as he’s a perfect 17-for-17 in his career on field goal attempts in the final minute of regulation.
It was a classic conference showdown where the defenses dictated the flow of the game. Both offenses struggled with their passing game, with both star quarterbacks under constant duress.
But a rejuvenated Jackson took over when his team needed him most, running back J.K. Dobbins is getting better by the week and the defense looked like the excellent unit that stymied the Jets in week 1 — exemplified by Marcus Peters blowing up the Bengals attempt at some goal-line razzle dazzle.
After last week’s disappointment, it’s great to see the Ravens win one that they easily could have lost, one in which John Harbaugh finally decided to make use of Tucker’s leg and the defense looked more motivated than Tommy and Jimmy jumping on Billy Batts in Goodfellas.
alejandro.danois@thebaltimorebanner.com
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Alejandro Danois was a sports writer for The Banner. He specializes in long-form storytelling, looking at society through the prism of sports and its larger connections with the greater cultural milieu. The author of The Boys of Dunbar, A Story of Love, Hope and Basketball, he is also a film producer and cultural critic.
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