Bengals Exploit Ravens’ Mistakes in a Thanksgiving Letdown
So, let’s talk about what happened to the Baltimore Ravens on Thanksgiving night — because it was the kind of game that leaves everyone shaking their heads and wondering where things went wrong. A 32-14 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals wasn’t just a setback; it felt like a wake-up call that echoed through M&T Bank Stadium and across the AFC North race.
The storyline heading in was supposed to center on Joe Burrow’s return, but from a Ravens perspective, the night became defined by giveaways — five of them — and a rhythm that never truly arrived on offense. Lamar Jackson, dealing with yet another lower-body issue, looked uncomfortable right from the opening drives. His passes were off target, his reactions felt a beat slow, and the turnover bug hit him hard. Two fumbles deep in Baltimore territory and a late interception in the red zone put the defense in impossible positions. It was the kind of outing where every small mistake snowballed into something much bigger.
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And the frustration was visible. Jackson admitted afterward that he was “ticked off,” and you could hear the anger in his voice. It wasn’t about disappointment — it was about knowing the standard wasn’t met. For the third straight week, he didn’t record a passing touchdown, a streak that has never happened to him before. Even though he showed flashes of explosiveness with his legs, the offense just wasn’t clicking. Open receivers were missed. Promising drives were stalled. And when the Ravens did move the ball, turnovers wiped away any momentum.
One of the toughest moments came when Isaiah Likely broke free for what looked like a walk-in touchdown — only to be stripped inches before the goal line. That play summed up the night: opportunities were there, but the Ravens couldn’t capitalize. Meanwhile, the Bengals kept stacking points, slowly pulling away as Burrow settled into a groove, firing touchdown passes and leaning on a defense that played far better than its season ranking suggested.
Even the Ravens’ defense, which hung in admirably through a heavy workload in the first half, eventually wore down. Nate Wiggins’ injury didn’t help, and Burrow found enough openings to flip a close game into a double-digit lead before the Ravens could respond.
Now Baltimore sits at 6-6, suddenly out of the playoff picture, and with back-to-back division matchups looming — the Steelers at home and the Bengals again right after. Both feel like must-wins. The good news? There’s time to regroup. The bad news? The problems aren’t small. Ball security, consistency, execution — all the things the Ravens pride themselves on — slipped badly in this one.
It wasn’t the Thanksgiving performance anyone expected from Baltimore, and the path forward will depend on whether the team can reset quickly and get its identity back before the AFC North slips away for good.
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