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The Ravens rolled to the end zone on their first drive and answered every blow from the defending AFC North champion Bengals to earn an upset in Cincinnati. They’ll be back home Sunday to host the 1-1 Indianapolis Colts.
Players of the game
QB Lamar Jackson: Jackson, who missed the Ravens’ two losses to the Bengals last season, completed 24 of 33 passes for 237 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 54 yards, including a key scramble for a first down on the game’s last drive. His decision-making was on point throughout.
S Geno Stone: Stone, filling in for injured starter Marcus Williams, made the defensive play of the day when he stepped in front of Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins in the end zone for an interception to end Cincinnati’s first drive after halftime. Stone also led the Ravens with nine tackles.
WR Nelson Agholor: The forgotten man among the team’s wide receiver additions caught a beautiful touch throw from Jackson for the decisive touchdown in a back-and-forth second half. Agholor led the Ravens with five catches on six targets for 63 yards.
Snap-count analysis
Outside linebacker Odafe Oweh played just 14 defensive snaps as he dealt with an unspecified injury, so Jadeveon Clowney stepped up to play 78% of the team’s defensive snaps. With safety Williams out, Stone played all 60 defensive snaps and nickel back Ar’Darius Washington played 57 of 60. As coach John Harbaugh promised, cornerbacks Rock Ya-Sin and Ronald Darby shared a more even workload than in the opener. Brandon Stephens, however, remained an every-down player in Marlon Humphrey’s absence. Defensive tackle Justin Madubuike played 60% of the team’s defensive snaps, down from 74% the previous week, while Michael Pierce remained the first option at nose tackle, taking 62% of the snaps to Travis Jones’ 33 percent.
Tight end Mark Andrews stepped right into a familiar workload after missing the opener with a quadriceps injury, playing 79% of the Ravens’ offensive snaps. With Odell Beckham Jr. battling an ankle injury, rookie Zay Flowers was the busiest wide receiver at 58 snaps, while Rashod Bateman’s workload increased to 44 snaps. With J.K. Dobbins out, Justice Hill became the workhorse at running back, playing 43 snaps while Gus Edwards played 32. Devin Duvernay played 22 offensive snaps compared to seven in the opener, in part because of Beckham’s absence and partly because coordinator Todd Monken turned to him as an option in the running game. Fullback Patrick Ricard played 33% of the offensive snaps compared to 44% in the opener, suggesting his usage will vary based on opponent and game conditions.
Number crunch
37: Rushing attempts for the Ravens as they showed they’ll remain a power team post-Greg Roman.
6: Number of Ravens who caught at least three passes from Jackson.
0-2: Cincinnati’s record in the AFC North after two straight division championships.
0: Sacks allowed by a Ravens offensive line playing without two starters.
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Quote of the day
Quarterback Jackson on not getting carried away with the importance of this win: “To me, it doesn’t mean anything yet. That’s just two wins in a 17-game season. So we have to stay focused and get ready for our next opponents. We can do well today on this victory, but other than that, we have to stay locked in because it’s not a championship game.”
Next up
Indianapolis Colts at M&T Bank Stadium, 1 p.m., Sunday
The Colts recovered from an opening loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars with a 31-20 road win over the hapless Houston Texans. Rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson left the game with a concussion, but backup Gardner Minshew completed 19 of 23 passes, and the Colts sacked Texans rookie C.J. Stroud six times.
[ Five things we learned from the Ravens’ 27-24 win over the Cincinnati Bengals ]
Offensive snap counts
John Simpson G 75
Kevin Zeitler G 75
Morgan Moses T 75
Lamar Jackson QB 75
Sam Mustipher C 75
Patrick Mekari T 74
Mark Andrews TE 59
Zay Flowers WR 58
Rashod Bateman WR 44
Justice Hill RB 43
Odell Beckham Jr. WR 39
Gus Edwards RB 32
Isaiah Likely TE 25
Patrick Ricard FB 25
Nelson Agholor WR 25
Devin Duvernay WR 22
Daniel Faalele T 3
Tylan Wallace WR 1
Defensive snap counts
Geno Stone SS 60
Brandon Stephens CB 60
Kyle Hamilton FS 60
Roquan Smith LB 60
Patrick Queen LB 59
Ar’Darius Washington FS 57
Jadeveon Clowney LB 47
David Ojabo LB 42
Michael Pierce NT 37
Justin Madubuike DT 36
Ronald Darby CB 35
Rock Ya-Sin CB 25
Broderick Washington DT 22
Baltimore Ravens Insider
Travis Jones DT 20
Tavius Robinson LB 15
Odafe Oweh LB 14
Brent Urban DE 7
Malik Harrison LB 2
Del’Shawn Phillips LB 1
Daryl Worley FS 1