NFL Week 18 Game Recap: Cincinnati Bengals 27, Baltimore Ravens 16

Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon (28) pulls a coin from his first band and flips it in the end zone after running in a touchdown in the first quarter of the NFL Week 18 game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Baltimore Ravens at Paycor Stadium in downtown Cincinnati on Sunday, Jan. 8, 2023. The Bengals led 24-7 at halftime. Baltimore Ravens At Cincinnati Bengals Nfl Week 18

The Cincinnati Bengals avoided the need for any coin toss drama with a 27-16 win over the Baltimore Ravens in a chippy AFC North encounter that sets up a rematch in the wild-card round of the playoffs next week. 

Offensive spotlight: This marked just the third time all season that Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow finished a game with a completion percentage below 60%, coming in at 59.5% against the Ravens in a game where he had some poor misses. He did showcase his athleticism early in the game, though, with numerous plays where he avoided a sack under heavy pressure, and did enough to help the Bengals to a lead that ultimately proved insurmountable.

Defensive spotlight: For the Bengals, this was a game they won on defense on the strength of turnovers. They picked off Anthony Brown twice — one off a dropped pass and the other from an off-target throw they pressured him into — and forced a fumble that was recovered in the end zone to go 24-7 up at halftime. The Ravens played tough on defense, laying some big hits and keeping the game competitive, but made some mistakes in coverage that created opportunities for the Bengals.

Rookie spotlight: With several starters rested, this was a game that allowed the Ravens to give plenty of work to their rookie class. First-round defensive back Kyle Hamilton impressed with his work close to the line of scrimmage again, while second-round edge rusher David Ojabo marked his first significant action with a strip-sack to set up the Ravens in the red zone. On offense, the leading receivers were their rookie tight ends, with Isaiah Likely catching eight passes for 103 yards and Charlie Kolar bringing in four for 49.

Offensive line spotlight: Neither offensive line played particularly well in pass protection, with Ben Cleveland the only starter on the Ravens' offensive line to not allow multiple pressures per PFF's first pass of the game. The Bengals' biggest problem coming out of the game was an injury to right guard Alex Cappa, who was rolled up on after a defender was knocked over by left guard Cordell Volson.

Box Score

Passing
Baltimore Ravens
Player Fantasy Comp/Att Yds YPA TD Int
Anthony Brown 8.44 19 / 44 286 6.5 0 2
Cincinnati Bengals
Player Fantasy Comp/Att Yds YPA TD Int
Joe Burrow 12.6 25 / 42 215 5.1 1 0
Rushing
Baltimore Ravens
Player Fantasy Car Yds YPC TD Long
Kenyan Drake 15.9 16 60 3.8 1 18
Justice Hill 3.4 7 34 4.9 0 12
Gus Edwards 1.6 4 16 4 0 11
Cincinnati Bengals
Player Fantasy Car Yds YPC TD Long
Joe Mixon 17.8 11 27 2.5 1 8
Joe Burrow 12.6 3 10 3.3 0 6
Samaje Perine 3.2 6 18 3 0 6
Receiving
Baltimore Ravens
Player Fantasy Tgt Rec Yds YPT TD
Isaiah Likely 21.3 13 8 103 7.9 0
Kenyan Drake 15.9 5 2 19 3.8 0
Sammy Watkins 8.9 4 2 79 19.8 0
Charlie Kolar 8.9 6 4 49 8.2 0
Demarcus Robinson 4.4 9 2 24 2.7 0
Tylan Wallace 2.2 1 1 12 12 0
Josh Oliver 0 1 0 0 0 0
James Proche II 0 3 0 0 0 0
Cincinnati Bengals
Player Fantasy Tgt Rec Yds YPT TD
Ja'Marr Chase 22.6 13 8 86 6.6 1
Joe Mixon 17.8 5 5 41 8.2 0
Tyler Boyd 10.1 7 5 51 7.3 0
Hayden Hurst 5.4 5 4 14 2.8 0
Samaje Perine 3.2 1 1 4 4 0
Trenton Irwin 2.2 2 1 12 6 0
Tee Higgins 1.7 7 1 7 1 0

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