Defense was supposed to be their strong suit and no one had any answers after the Bengals stunned themselves in allowing their most yards in 21 games Monday night in the Ravens’ effortless 430-yard binge in the 44-13 loss, a foe’s biggest take since the Saints rolled to 436 in December 2010.
And it was the most points allowed since Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick decimated Cincinnati’s decimated secondary with 49 on Nov. 21, 2010.
After Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco ripped the intact Bengals starting secondary for 299 yards, head coach Marvin Lewis said the no-huddle was no excuse.
“I wish I could say it was the no-huddle. We’ve been one of the best no-huddle teams in the NFL the last eight or nine years,” Lewis said. “That’s not an issue.”
But covering tight ends is. For the second game in a row, Ravens tight end Dennis Pitta was Baltimore’s leading receiver against Cincinnati. Last time in the regular-season finale it was 62 yards on six catches for a touchdown. This time it was a career-high 73 yards on five catches for a touchdown.
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