Bengals' Feast on Errors Costs the Baltimore Ravens Dearly

The Baltimore Ravens’ Week 16 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals wasn’t just a defeat—it was a masterclass in how one team can exploit another’s mistakes. Time and again, the Ravens stumbled with unforced errors, and the Bengals pounced, turning each miscue into momentum shifts or points on the board. From interceptions that set up easy touchdowns to defensive communication lapses that left receivers wide open, the Bengals didn’t just win—they feasted on the Ravens’ missteps. Bengals' Feast on Errors Costs the Baltimore Ravens Dearly breaks down the critical errors the Ravens made and how the Bengals turned them into a 24-17 victory that all but ended Baltimore’s playoff hopes.

Bengals' Feast on Errors Costs the Baltimore Ravens Dearly begins with Lamar Jackson’s costly interception in the fourth quarter, a mistake that handed the Bengals control of the game’s final minutes. With the Ravens trailing 17-14 and driving for a potential game-tying or go-ahead score, Jackson tried to force a deep pass to Zay Flowers over the middle. The throw was underthrown, and Bengals safety Jessie Bates III stepped in to intercept it at the Cincinnati 35-yard line. Instead of letting the Ravens reset, the Bengals immediately turned the turnover into points: Joe Burrow led a 65-yard drive that ended with a 32-yard field goal, extending the Bengals’ lead to 20-14 with just 1:12 left. Post-game film showed Jackson’s decision was unnecessary—Flowers was double-covered, and running back J.K. Dobbins had an open lane for a short gain that would have kept the drive alive. “That interception was on me,” Jackson admitted after the game. “I tried to make a play instead of playing smart, and they took advantage.” For the Bengals, the turnover was a gift—one they didn’t waste.

Bengals' Feast on Errors Costs the Baltimore Ravens Dearly delves into the Ravens’ defensive communication breakdown that led to Ja’Marr Chase’s 45-yard touchdown, a play that shifted momentum firmly in the Bengals’ favor. Midway through the fourth quarter, the Ravens’ secondary signaled for a “Cover 2” look, but cornerback Marlon Humphrey misread the call and played “Cover 1,” leaving Chase unguarded down the left sideline. Burrow spotted the mistake instantly, lofting a perfect pass to Chase, who sprinted into the end zone to give the Bengals a 17-14 lead. The play wasn’t a fluke: the Ravens had made similar communication errors earlier in the game, but the Bengals had bided their time, waiting for the right moment to exploit it. “We saw their secondary was miscommunicating all day,” Burrow said after the game. “We just kept running routes to that spot until we got the look we wanted.” The touchdown wasn’t just points—it was a psychological blow, as the Ravens’ defense had held the Bengals to just 10 points in the first three quarters before the lapse.

Bengals' Feast on Errors Costs the Baltimore Ravens Dearly examines a critical special teams mistake that gave the Bengals a short field and an early scoring opportunity. Late in the first quarter, Ravens punt returner Devin Duvernay failed to call a fair catch on a high, looping punt from the Bengals’ Kevin Huber. The ball bounced off the turf and into the hands of Bengals linebacker Logan Wilson, who recovered it at the Ravens’ 12-yard line. Three plays later, Burrow connected with tight end Hayden Hurst for a 3-yard touchdown, giving the Bengals a 7-0 lead. The mistake was avoidable: Duvernay later admitted he’d hesitated, unsure if he could reach the ball before it bounced. For the Baltimore Ravens, special teams errors have been a recurring issue this season, but this one was particularly costly—it gave the Bengals easy access to the end zone without having to drive the length of the field. “Special teams is supposed to set us up for success, not hand the other team points,” Ravens special teams coordinator Chris Horton said. “That play changed the tone of the first half, and we never fully recovered.”

Bengals' Feast on Errors Costs the Baltimore Ravens Dearly explores how the Ravens’ red-zone inefficiency let the Bengals limit damage when Baltimore did get close to scoring. Early in the second quarter, the Ravens drove 70 yards to the Bengals’ 5-yard line, seemingly poised to tie the game. But instead of leaning on their strength—the running game with Dobbins—they opted for a complex trick play: Jackson faked a handoff, then tried to throw a backward pass to Flowers. The play backfired: Bengals cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt read it perfectly, tackling Flowers for a 3-yard loss. The Ravens settled for a 26-yard field goal, cutting the deficit to 7-3 instead of tying it. The Bengals didn’t just stop the Ravens—they turned the inefficient drive into a momentum boost, as Burrow led a 60-yard drive on the next possession to extend the lead back to 14-3. For the Baltimore Ravens, red-zone errors have plagued them all season, but against the Bengals, it was especially costly. “We had a chance to tie the game and instead came away with three points,” Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said. “That’s the difference between winning and losing, and the Bengals made us pay for it.”

Bengals' Feast on Errors Costs the Baltimore Ravens Dearly wraps up with the Ravens’ late-game execution collapse, a series of small mistakes that added up to a final, insurmountable deficit. After Jackson’s interception, the Ravens got the ball back with 45 seconds left, needing a touchdown to tie. But a false start penalty on offensive lineman Ronnie Stanley pushed them back 5 yards, and Jackson was sacked two plays later, effectively ending the game. The penalty was unnecessary—Stanley later said he’d jumped the snap because he was rushing to get the play off. For the Baltimore Ravens, the sequence summed up their day: one mistake leading to another, with the Bengals waiting to capitalize. “We didn’t just make one error—we made a series of them, and the Bengals are too good to let that slide,” Jackson said. The loss wasn’t just about the scoreboard; it was about how the Ravens’ own mistakes undermined their effort. The Bengals didn’t outplay the Ravens in every phase—they just took better advantage of the chances Baltimore handed them. As the Ravens look back on their 2025 season, this game will stand out as a turning point: the moment when their errors cost them not just a win, but a shot at the playoffs.