Ravens Defense Has Chip on Shoulder vs. Bengals

The Baltimore Ravens may have won their last matchup against their division rivals, but they still have something to prove.

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins (5) breaks tackles on a reception in the fourth quarter of the NFL Week 5 game between the Cincinnati Bengals and Baltimore Ravens at Paycor Stadium in downtown Cincinnati on Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. The Bengals fell to 1-4 on the season with a 41-38 loss to the Ravens. / Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Back in Week 5, the Baltimore Ravens defeated the rival Cincinnati Bengals 41-38 in an overtime thriller on the road, but the tone afterward was anything but celebratory.

The Ravens' defense, which has received plenty of deserved criticism throughout the season, couldn't stop a nosebleed for roughly 55 minutes of game time. Joe Burrow completed 30 of 39 passes for 392 yards and five touchdowns, while Ja'Marr Chase (10 receptions for 193 yards and two touchdowns) and Tee Higgins (nine receptions for 83 yards and two touchdowns) both feasted as well.

If not for a clutch interception by Marlon Humphrey, the Ravens probably lose that game and let a great offensive performance go by the wayside. As such, the defense feels like it has something to prove in Thursday's rematch at home.

"We felt like we should have lost; I think that's what we kind of talked about today," Humphrey said Monday. "We won the game, but we did not play well, especially the secondary alone. Like I said, there were a lot of contested catches, but [we allowed] big plays – too many big plays – so we're hoping to try to limit the passing attack and get going. That's the biggest thing; we've been searching.

"I think it's been a really good response in our room of ... As Kyle Van Noy said, 'He didn't finish last for nothing,' so with that [pass game ranking] being 32, that's not something we like. That's not something we want to be, and it's always a tough challenge, but I think we have the guys for the job, and we're going to keep working at it – keep working at it all the way up until game time – and then let it loose Thursday night."

Baltimore's defense has struggled throughout the season, currently ranking dead last in passing defense (280.9 yards per game) and 23rd in scoring defense (24.3 points per game). However, Sunday's win over the Denver Broncos was a noticeable step forward, as the Ravens allowed just 10 points, clamped down in the red zone and avoided the self-inflicted wounds that doomed them previously.

There's still a long way to go, but Humphrey and co. believe that's a performance they can build on, especially with a scary offense coming to town.

"I thought we played well," Humphrey said. "I wanted to keep them under 200 [passing yards]. I know right there at the end, I think they got it, but we just have to keep chasing the details. It's bad when what you're being coached ... If you don't have it to the T, that's what's kind of hurting us. So, in our room, we've realized as players, we have to do it exactly how we're coached, exactly how we're doing it in practice, to get it to go in the game. We can't practice it all week this way – coach this way – and then get in the game, and it's not exactly how you just practiced it. So, that's been the biggest thing.

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