Five Takeaways From The Cincinnati Bengals' Wildcard Victory Over The Baltimore Ravens

Cincinnati beat Baltimore 24-17 on Sunday night.

Mike Santagata | Jan 16, 2023

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Cincinnati Bengals

These AFC North games are backyard brawls. While the Bengals are the much better team on paper, the Ravens effectively dragged them into the mud and made this a really difficult game. Baltimore's defense stepped up for them and they were able to move the ball on offense. They came up short, but it was a valiant effort. Let’s dive into some of the takeaways from the Bengals' tough wildcard win.

Playoff Hubbard

Sam Hubbard has been one of the most consistent players on this defense over the past year and a half. He plays is at a solid level every single week. Last year he was excellent during the Super Bowl run.

He went from 0.46 sacks per game during the 2021 regular season to 0.75 sacks per game in the postseason. He also made a few of the defining plays of that run including the 3rd and goal strip sack on Patrick Mahomes that nearly ended the AFC Championship Game in regulation.

He makes this leap as a pass rusher in the playoffs while still providing some of the best run defense across the entire NFL. Sunday was no different for him. He didn't have any sacks, but he did have a quarterback hit and had the play of the game on the goal line. In a tied game in the fourth quarter, the Ravens attempted a quarterback sneak from the 2-yard line. Tyler Huntley attempted a Drew Brees style of sneak where the quarterback goes over the top of the pile and extends the ball for a touchdown.

Bengals linebacker Logan Wilson blocked him like LeBron James on Andre Igoudala circa 2016. Not only did the block from Wilson keep the ball about two feet away from the end zone, but he also forced a fumble.

That fumble fell into Hubbard’s arms like a wrapped present. Hubbard returned the fumble 98 yards for a touchdown in what is now the longest fumble recovery in NFL playoff history. This was a true 14 point swing and the play that stole all of the momentum from Baltimore. It was also one of the biggest swings in win probability this season. It took the Bengals from a 43% win probability to an 89% win probability. One play between Wilson and Hubbard completely swung the game. That’s a probability change of 46% on a single play. Just an absolutely incredible moment for the Cincinnati native.

The Offensive Line Takes Another Hit

While Jonah Williams has not had the breakout season that some predicted, he is still the Bengals' best option at left tackle for this playoff run. Sadly, that seemed to take a massive hit this Sunday as he suffered a left knee injury in the second quarter and he didn't return. This is the third injury to an offensive line that really cannot afford it.

Jackson Carman stepped in for Williams and picked up a holding penalty and allowed a sack. It’s uncertain if Carman will be the left tackle for the divisional round if Williams cannot go, but it’s a very big concern if he is. An offensive line of Carman, Cordell Volson, Ted Karras, Max Scharping, and Hakeem Adeniji is worse on paper than the offensive line that the Bengals trotted out for the playoffs last year. Yes, the offensive line that was mostly responsible for Burrow getting sacked nine times in one game. While you hope for the best with Williams, if they have to replace him next week that tackle spot becomes the primary concern for the Bengals. This Bengals' offensive line did not play well yesterday and the Bills have even better players on their pass rush.

Mike Hilton Leads The Defense

The Ravens schemed Mike Hilton off of the field during the first half of this game with a ton of heavier looks. The Bengals opted for a base defense to match those heavy looks which replaced him with a linebacker or a big nickel defense that replaced him with a safety such as Dax Hill for much of the first half. The defense allowed 10 points on 3 drives. Defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo made a change after halftime and seemed to match nearly everything with nickel so that Hilton could be on the field.

It proved to be about as impactful of a decision as when running back Petey Jones came in at cornerback for Alan Bosley in Remember The Titans. Hilton had a tackle for a loss on the second play of the third quarter, sacked Huntley early in the fourth quarter, and broke up the final pass attempt of the game from Huntley.

Hilton is one of the best players on this defense and he showed it in that second half. The Ravens offense went from 10 points on 3 drives to seven points on 6 drives during that second half and Hilton was a huge reason why.

A Trio Of Young Guys Step Up

Three different unexpected players stepped up in this game. Rookie Zach Carter made three tackles and while none of them were for a loss, they were for two or less yards. Those are successful plays for the defense and for a guy who did not seem to find his footing early this season, Carter has stepped up and played a quality game yesterday.

It could be huge for this defense if he can continue to play at this level. The next player who stepped up was second year defensive end Cam Sample. Sample had a quarterback hit, played fantastic run defense with four tackles for two yards or less, and even batted a pass attempt to save a touchdown. Similar to Carter, this level of play is higher quality than what he provided during the regular season.

Lastly, Akeem Davis-Gaither had one of the most impactful plays of the first half as he intercepted Huntley on the Ravens' first drive. Davis-Gaither was in a curl-flat zone on the play and started to widen with the flat route. He read Huntley’s eyes and shoulders and made a beautiful break on the ball to jump in front of the out-breaking route inside of his zone. On a whiteboard, the curl-flat defender should not make that interception, but there are moments where players step up and do the unexpected. This was one of those moments where the players trumped the scheme.

Divisional Round Is Set

The stage is set for the divisional round between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Buffalo Bills. After the near tragedy with Damar Hamlin on the field, it seemed as if this was destined to happen. The Bengals were essentially locked into the 3 seed while the Bills were pretty much locked into the 2 seed. Both teams went against backup quarterbacks and while both teams also provided a scare for their fans during those games, they came out on top.

The Bengals are going to need more juice offensively if they are going to beat this Bills squad. They also cannot allow quick touchdowns downfield, like the 41-yarder where Demarcus Robinson shook Eli Apple with a double move.

In what should be a fantastic game, the Bills open up as 3-point favorites at home. Vegas seems to think these teams are fairly equal. A quick reminder that the Bengals were 4-point underdogs in the divisional round last year. They’re used to being in this spot.

Cincinnati and Buffalo meet in the Divisional round this Sunday at 3 p.m. ET on CBS. The game is available via fuboTV—start your free trial here.

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