Baltimore Beatdown
The Ravens only played 41 offensive snaps in this game. With the team holding a commanding lead late in the fourth quarter, a handful of offensive starters were pulled from the game including Lamar Jackson, Ronnie Stanley, and Andrew Vorhees. Stanley had exited earlier with a leg injury and missed some snaps from that as well. Backup rookies Carson Vinson and Emery Jones Jr. combined to play 10 snaps in relief.
Keaton Mitchell out-snapped Derrick Henry by one play (16 vs. 15 snaps). Both were effective on the ground against the Bengals; Henry rushed 11 times for 100 yards and Mitchell gained 66 yards on eight carries. Rasheen Ali was not far behind with 11 snaps of his own. He didn’t receive a carry but caught two passes for 32 yards with a 30-yard touchdown reception off a screen pass.
It was a game of highs and lows for Zay Flowers, who made two impressive catches including a 28-yard touchdown, while also dropping two costly passes as well. Flowers played 32 snaps and led the team in receiving again with 68 yards. Devontez Walker stepped into a bigger role (25 snaps) in Rashod Bateman’s absence but was not targeted. Deandre Hopkins’ 13 snaps (32%) saw him catch one pass for a long gain of 32 yards.
In a reversal of usual course, Charlie Kolar and Isaiah Likely tied with 21 snaps to lead the tight end room. Mark Andrews played 17 snaps and caught two passes for 18 yards, while the latter two were not targeted at all. In a run-heavy offensive gameplan, Pat Ricard’s 18 snaps also slightly outpaced Andrews as well.
Baltimore’s defense was on the field for 76 plays, much more than the offense, and impressively managed to pitch a shutout performance. Four familiar faces went the distance playing 100% of snaps: Safeties Alohi Gilman and Kyle Hamilton, CB Nate Wiggins, and LB Roquan Smith. S Malaki Starks and CB Marlon Humphrey closely trailed with 72 snaps each.
Gilman played a starring role with an 84-yard interception return for a touchdown late in the game. Him and Hamilton each recorded eight tackles, while Starks had five tackles and a pass breakup. Joining the secondary for the first time this season was Ar’Darius Washington, who made his long-awaited return after recovering from a torn achilles injury. Washington played 15 snaps (20%) and made two tackles.
Two key defenders exited the game early with injuries: LB Teddye Buchanan (knee) and CB Chidobe Awuzie (foot). Buchanan played 12 snaps and Awuzie played 16 snaps. Trenton Simpson took on a larger role once Buchnan went down and finished with 35 snaps (46%). With no Awuzie, the Ravens primarily played three safeties and two cornerbacks, although T.J. Tampa did get on the field for eight plays.
Tavius Robinson returned after a multi-week absence and played 34 snaps. Dre’Mont Jones had a game-high five quarterback hits and led all edge rushers in snaps (51). Mike Green had an...
