Brown’s five thoughts on Ravens beating Bengals again

Ja’Marr Chase (11 catches, 264 yards, three touchdowns) and Burrow (34-of-56, 428 yards, four touchdowns) put together an aerial display that nearly sank the Ravens. To preserve the win, the Ravens denied the Bengals on a two-point conversion attempt in the final minute when Burrow’s pass intended for Tanner Hudson fell incomplete.

Chase is a great player, but some of his catches were just too easy. On his second touchdown, the Ravens let him run free up the middle of the field and it was almost pitch and catch between him and Burrow for a 70-yard touchdown.

The Ravens realize they win in spite of their pass defense, not because of it. Neither Humphrey nor head coach John Harbaugh sugar-coated Baltimore’s defensive problems after the game. The Ravens don’t play defense up to their standards, but they win because their offense carries them. Humphrey said the Ravens execute correctly in practice, but that doesn’t translate into the games.

That needs to change for Baltimore to go as far as they hope.

The good news is that the Ravens’ pass rush improved. They hit Burrow like a piñata all night, landing 13 quarterback hits to the Bengals’ one. Part of that was because Orlando Brown Jr. didn’t play for Cincinnati, but Baltimore took advantage.

Nnamdi Madubuike had three sacks for the first time in his career, increasing his season tally to five. But he was still not satisfied with the overall result

“It’s just not our standard of defense and we know it,” Madubuike said. “We’ve got to find ways in practice to improve and get better, and I know guys in that locker room feel the same way I do, and we’ve got to do that. We’ve just got to take it one day at a time and just focus on the right things (and) build the right habits and translate that into the game.”