The Cincinnati Bengals endured an agonizing 34-20 loss to the Baltimore Ravens that put both their quarterback and playoff hopes in jeopardy. The loss dropped the Bengals to 5-5. More notably, the Ravens have now swept Cincinnati and the Bengals are 0-3 in divisional games this year. With Joe Burrow's status up in the air, it's hard to see the Bengals having a shot at winning the division.

The game between the two rivals was initially close before the Ravens got a touchdown right before the half to increase their lead to 21-10. Baltimore scored two 3rd quarter field goals and a fourth quarter touchdown while Cincinnati got one third quarter field goal, giving the Ravens a 34-13 lead late in the fourth. The Bengals scored one more last minute touchdown, but it was much too late.

The Bengals will now have 10 days to rest and get healthy for another divisional matchup versus the Pittsburgh Steelers. If Burrow is healthy, Cincinnati has winnable games versus the Steelers, Jacksonville Jaguars and Indianapolis Colts in the next three weeks. In the meantime, let's take a look at those to blame for last night's loss.

Injuries

This is a bit of a cop-out answer, but injuries were obviously a huge factor in the Bengals' loss. It would not be possible to accurately talk about why the Bengals lost this game without discussing injuries. Before the game even began, Cincinnati knew they would be without wide receiver Tee Higgins for the second straight week along with defensive end Sam Hubbard. Both injuries were tangible during the game as Cincinnati gave increasing targets to Tanner Hudson and Trenton Irwin while the Ravens focused on locking up Ja'Marr Chase.

Aside from those, the most impactful injury was of course to Joe Burrow, who left the game in the second quarter with a wrist injury. At the time backup Jake Browning came into the game, the Bengals were trailing just 14-10. Had Burrow not been injured or able to continue playing, Cincinnati had a much better shot at coming back or keeping the game within reach.

It's also important to note that the Ravens won the game with injuries as well. Tight end Mark Andrews went down with what is now thought to be a season-ending ankle injury. Wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. suffered a shoulder injury late in the game and Lamar Jackson played through an ankle injury.

Bengals Secondary

The Bengals secondary isn't just to blame because the Ravens had a great day, putting up 405 total yards of offense. They get a place on this list due to the amount of missed tackles and yards after the catch they gave up. According to Next Gen Stats, 61% of Lamar Jackson's 264 passing yards came after the catch. That's 163 yards of receivers running free through the secondary.

This was especially evident on Jackson's touchdown pass to Nelson Agholor. On Agholor's 37-yard touchdown run, thirty of his yards came after the catch. He also ran a lot more yards horizontally as he weaved his way across the field to the end zone, but those yards don't count toward the total on the play.

Outside of this play, Odell Beckham Jr. also broke through the Ravens' secondary, particularly on a 51-yard catch and run. He had four receptions for 116 yards, his first 100-yard receiving game since 2021. Baltimore would have had an even more explosive day in terms of yards after the catch had the Zay Flowers' 68-yard screen pass not been called back.

Though the Bengals' secondary did make some plays — including a great pass break up from Cam Taylor-Britt early in the game — they allowed too many free yards after the catch to the Baltimore pass-catchers.

Bengals Offensive Line

The Cincinnati offensive line has long been a weak point for this team, especially in the Joe Burrow era. The Bengals offensive line allowed five sacks on the quarterback, which is not good with an inexperienced QB coming in during the middle of the game. Of course, these sacks additionally stalled some drives and prevented the Bengals from putting up more points. The O-line did a nice job blocking for Joe Mixon in the run game and on screens, but could improve in pass protection again. They have now allowed nine sacks in the past two weeks after giving up just one versus the Buffalo Bills the week before that.