Raven Country

Ravens' Veteran Calls Out Bengals for Underwhelming Performance

One of the Baltimore Ravens' key defenders felt that his opponent came up small in the big game.
Henry Brown|
Nov 16, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Baltimore Ravens linebacker Dre'Mont Jones (41) greets fans prior to a game against the Cleveland Browns at Huntington Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Scott Galvin-Imagn Images
Nov 16, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Baltimore Ravens linebacker Dre'Mont Jones (41) greets fans prior to a game against the Cleveland Browns at Huntington Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Scott Galvin-Imagn Images | Scott Galvin-Imagn Images

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Baltimore Ravens

The Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals have been two of the NFL's most prolific scoring offenses throughout the 2020s. Despite the 16 losses they'd combined for through 14 weeks in their depleted states, the MVP of their high-stakes matchup in Cincinnati would have been favored to go to one of the star quarterbacks in Lamar Jackson or Joe Burrow heading into the weekend showdown.

Cincinnati Bengals Quarterback Joe Burrow and Baltimore Ravens Quarterback Lamar Jackson
Dec 14, 2025; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9) and Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) meet after the game at Paycor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images | Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images

The Ravens would end up prevailing in a 24-0 shutout in enemy territory, and while Jackson was as efficiently destructive as ever, Baltimore's defense had Burrow's number all game long. They forced the quarterback into three sacks and two interceptions, one of which featured as a nail-in-the-coffin pick-six, and one of the Ravens' most vocal presences took note of how the Bengals performed in a do-or-die situation.

"I felt from play one that they weren’t ready to play," veteran defensive end Dre'Mont Jones noted postgame. "It was too cold for them."

Baltimore's All-Around Defensive Seige

He wasn't one of the Ravens credited with a sack on Burrow, but he made a memorable appearance in one of the outing's many contentious moments after knocking the opposing star to the ground and physically taunting the Bengals for complaining about a potential late hit. He's unafraid to provoke others into a fight, and that aligns with the spirit he's demonstrated since arriving in Baltimore from the Tennessee Titans in a midseason trade.

That edge was felt all game long from Baltimore's front line and secondary, with the defense repeatedly foiling the Bengals' scoring attack every time they seemed to be tasting a breakthrough.

Tavius Robinson smoked Burrow for a drive-ending sack early on, an emphatic play to announce his long-awaited return to both sides. Travis Jones got in a lick of his own, as did Mike Green in pinning Burrow to end the first half. Marlon Humphrey snagged a pass out of the air for Baltimore's first pick of the afternoon and his second of the season, and Kyle Van Noy and Alohi Gilman combined for that aforementioned interception that directly resulted in a touchdown.

The Bengals' inability to counter the Ravens' own defensive pressure showed in Jackson's statistically-friendly finish, and their inability to maintain Baltimore's scoring rate in an eventual loss ended up dooming them just two weeks after a Thanksgiving Day win looked to have reignited their optimistic playoff hunt.

They're not only now mathematically eliminated from making the playoffs for the third consecutive season, but now have to live with Jones' harsh assessment of how the Bengals approached this inflection point.

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Henry Brown
HENRY BROWN

Henry covers the Washington Wizards and Baltimore Ravens with prior experience as a sports reporter with The Baltimore Sun, the Capital Gazette and The Lead. A Bowie, MD native, he earned his Journalism degree at the University of Maryland.

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