Raven Country

Ravens Poised to Build Off Dominant Bengals Win

The Baltimore Ravens executed in several key areas to propel themselves to their seventh win of the season.
Josh Reed|
Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry (22) runs the ball in the third quarter of the NFL football game between Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati on Dec. 14, 2025.
Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry (22) runs the ball in the third quarter of the NFL football game between Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati on Dec. 14, 2025. | Albert Cesare/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Baltimore Ravens

The Baltimore Ravens kept their playoff hopes alive with their best win of the season in a 24-0 road shutout of the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 15. Their bounce-back triumph improved their record to 7-7 and kept them within a game of first place in the AFC North division race. For the first time in nearly two months, all three phases pulled their respective weight, with one holding the other two back. Here are some of the top takeaways from the impressive result.

Ravens are finally putting it all together

This win marked just the second time this season the team played complementary football in all three phases of the game, and first with franchise quarterback Lamar Jackson under center as the starter. The only other time they were clicking and came up clutch on offense, defense, and special teams was in Week 8, when Pro Bowl backup Tyler Huntley sparked their five-game winning streak against the Chicago Bears.

Against the Bengals, the offense outgained the opposition despite having the ball for barely half as long (39:19-20:41), averaged 7.9 yards per play, only turned the ball over once as a result of a drop by Zay Flowers and would've capitalized on their lone red zone possession had Flowers not dropped another ball in the back of the end zone.

The defense didn't just hold Cincinnati out of the end zone entirely; they bullied them for most of the game, got off the field when they needed to, bent but never broke, forced multiple turnovers, and generated some offense of their own with a pick-six. On special teams, rookie kicker Tyler Loop made all of his kicks and had no landing zone infractions, punter Jordan Stout pinned the Bengals offense inside their own 20-yard line on a third of his punts and the coverage units were playing just as physically and cohesively as the defense.

"It was our best football game of the year; [it was] complementary football [in] all three phases, coming off our best week of practice – and we've had good weeks of practice," head coach John Harbaugh said. "We've had really good weeks of practice, very intentional weeks of practice, and this was another level. At this point in time, to see that is really what is impressive about these guys. I told them I'm so proud of them for that reason."

Running game continues to be an overwhelming strength

Baltimore Ravens running back Keaton Mitchell runs for a first down agaianst Cincinnati Bengals cornerback DJ Turner.
Dec 14, 2025; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Baltimore Ravens running back Keaton Mitchell (34) runs for a first down as Cincinnati Bengals cornerback DJ Turner II (20) makes the tackle during the third quarter at Paycor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images | Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images

The main reason the Ravens weren't able to eat up more time of possession, even in the second half when they had a double-digit lead, was that their rushing attack was so potent with the way it plowed through the Bengals' defense. Excluding Tyler Huntley's three victory formation kneeldowns, the offense posted 192 rushing yards, averaged 9.1 yards on 21 carries and all their other three ball carriers averaged over 8 yards per attempt.

Despite tying for his third-fewest carries in a single-game this season with 11, five-time Pro Bowl running back Derrick Henry recorded his fifth 100-plus-yard rushing game of the season, over half of which came on back-to-back runs of 29 and 24 yards in the third quarter.

The Ravens also continued to increase third-year pro Keaton Mitchell's workload, and he recorded his second straight game of 60-plus yards as the perfect change-of-pace option to their backfield. Jackson added another 26 yards to the team's total on a pair of scrambles for 14 and 12 yards.

After struggling to establish consistent traction on the ground during their rough 1-5 start to the season, the Ravens have rushed for 120-plus yards in each of their seven of their last eight games to revive their once bleak playoff hopes. Even in their two losses over that span, they ran the ball well in both and totaled a combined 340 yards on the ground.

Leaning even more on their rushing attack during this vital stretch needs to be a top priority, where they're about to face three straight division leaders with suspect defenses when it comes to stopping the run.

Reloaded pass rush came to life

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow runs with the ball against Baltimore Ravens linebacker Tavius Robinson in Week 15.
Dec 14, 2025; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9) runs with the ball against Baltimore Ravens linebacker Tavius Robinson (95) in the first half at Paycor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images | Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

The return of third-year pro Tavius Robinson, who had missed the last seven games while recovering from a broken foot, coupled with the continued acclimation of veteran trade acquisition Dre'Mont Jones, the Ravens' pass rush had their most disruptive outing of the season. Going up against the same quarterback and offensive line that came into Baltimore and held them in check two weeks ago, the new-look defensive front wreaked havoc from start to finish, resulting in Joe Burrow's worst performance of his career to date.

Jones set the tone, brought the juice and led the charge against his former college teammate at Ohio State by recording half of the Ravens' 10 quarterback hits. Robinson recorded one of the unit's 3 sacks and generated some key pressures, including the quarterback hit that led the game-sealing interception return for a touchdown.

Recently-extended nose tackle Travis Jones continued to show more of his pass rush prowess with his second full sack of the season to bring his season total to a career-high 2.5. Defensive coordinator Zach Orr called a brilliant game with how harmoniously he had the front and backend working together to cloud the post-snap picture for Burrow to make him hold the ball and bring the heat to make him get rid of it quickly.

For the first time this season, the Ravens showed that they can apply consistent pressure with a traditional four-man rush without blitzing heavily or running an abundance of simulated pressures that can get picked apart by high-level processing quarterbacks if dialed up too often. If they can continue stuffing the run on early downs at a high clip, holding opponents to under 4 yards a carry in four of their last five games, Orr will be able to keep deploying his dynamic pass rushers on twists and stunts or just let them pin their ears back and win one-on-one battles as they did in Cincinnati.

Lamar Jackson Continues to return to form

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson runs with the ball against the Cincinnati Bengals defense at Paycor Stadium.
Dec 14, 2025; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) runs with the ball against the Cincinnati Bengals in the first half at Paycor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images | Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

When he first returned to action from the hamstring injury that caused him to miss three games, the two-time league MVP looked like a shell of his usual elite self during the Ravens' win streak. It wasn't until their first matchup with the Bengals on Thanksgiving that he started to look healthier, and in the rematch this past week, Jackson made plays with his legs and was even more impressive as a passer.

Although he only attempted 12 passes, the three-time First Team All Pro put on a masterclass of quarterbacking from pre-and-post-snap processing to delivering dimes down the field. His four best plays were a side-arm no-look pass to DeAndre Hopkins off a run-pass-option that resulted in a 32-yard gain, the audible he made to make the Bengals pay for a blitz that led to his first touchdown and a pair of 20-plus-yard dimes to Flowers on their last drive in the first half, the second of which went for a touchdown.

With their star signal caller getting healthy and heating up heading into a vital do-or-die stretch, the Ravens have a chance to not only run the table but also emerge as one of the scariest teams heading into the playoffs. Having an elite quarterback and a defense peaking at the right time can be a recipe to not only win a third straight AFC North title but also make a deep run in a wide-open AFC to contend for a Super Bowl as well.

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Josh Reed
JOSH REED

Josh is a writer for Baltimore Ravens On SI focusing primarily on original content and reporting. He provides analysis, breakdowns, profiles, and reports on important news and transactions from and about the Ravens. His professional resume as a sports reporter includes covering local events, teams, and athletes in his hometown of Anchorage, Alaska for Anchorage Daily News. His coverage on the Ravens and other NFL teams has been featured on Heavy.com/sports, Maryland Sports Blog and most recently Baltimore Beatdown from 2021 until 2025.

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