The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec: “Registering their first shutout since they beat the Tennessee Titans 21-0 in October 2018, holding a Joe Burrow-led offense without points for the first time in his NFL career, and officially eliminating the Bengals (4-10) from playoff contention were the rewards from the Ravens’ finest three hours of the season, at least to this point. … In many ways, this was a vintage Ravens performance. Playing in the coldest game in franchise history — game-time temperature was 10 degrees with a minus-1 windchill — the Ravens’ defense warmed to the task early and never let the Bengals up. They sacked Burrow three times, hit him 10 times and let the quarterback and his offensive line know about it, too.”
NFL.com’s Eric Edholm: “That classic Baltimore formula – a healthy run game combined with an active defense – is the formula the Ravens have been seeking all season, and they found it in a must-have game against a Bengals team that thumped them on Thanksgiving.”
The Baltimore Banner’s Jonas Shaffer: “Before the game, safety Kyle Hamilton was captured delivering a passionate, PG-13 speech to his fellow Ravens defensive backs. The Ravens’ season was teetering, but he focused his energy on the Bengals: ‘We beat them, their [expletive] season’s over!’ The Ravens played with that [expletive]-you energy all game. They hit hard. They chirped Joe Burrow. They flexed and talked and stared. They embodied all that this Ravens defense has been missing, even when it’s been playing well: a take-no-prisoners swagger.”
Press Box’s Bo Smolka: “Defensive Coordinator Zach Orr made Joe Burrow look nothing like the Joe Burrow who has thrown for more than 400 yards three times against the Ravens. In this game, Burrow struggled early, and both the weather and the Ravens defense had a hand in that. Pressure disrupted Burrow’s pocket at times, and more than once he looked unsuccessfully for a flag as he was picking himself off the frozen turf. … Orr, in his second year as defensive coordinator, took the lion’s share of the heat earlier this season as the Ravens stumbled to a 1-5 start. His job status was a hot topic. To his credit, the well-liked Orr brushed aside criticism and insisted each week that he and his charges were focused on the next game. This was Orr’s finest hour in two years in charge of the Ravens defense.”
Baltimore Beatdown’s Stephen Bopst: “It’s hard to remember a better performance from the Ravens’ defense over the past two years. In a must win game, against an offense that’s given them serious issues, Zach Orr and the defense delivered a masterful performance, shutting out a prolific Bengals offense. The pass rush looked the best it has all year, which led to some big turnovers, including the incredible interception by Kyle Van Noy who handed it to Alohi Gilman for a 95-yard TD.”
Baltimore Beatdown’s Mark Myers: “What a breath of fresh air. The defense turned back the clock with a truly stellar performance, shutting out Joe Burrow and a Bengals offense that have tormented them in the past. Alohi Gilman, Dre’Mont Jones, and Travis Jones all played tremendously, and credit is due to Kyle Van Noy for the savvy handoff to Gilman on the pick-six. For the offense, the formula was simple. RUN. THE. BALL.”
The Baltimore Sun’s Tim Schwartz: “Derrick Henry (11 carries for 100 yards) carried the ball the first three plays of the game to set the tone, and he started breaking off longer runs as the game progressed. Keaton Mitchell looked healthy, gaining 66 yards on eight carries, and Lamar Jackson had a timely 14-yard run, too. This is Baltimore’s recipe for success. Count on the defense to have a good day and ride Henry and Mitchell (and Rasheen Ali, because why not?) to victory.”