If there was positive to take away from this game, it’s the success that Flacco had targeting his tight ends. On 11 targets, he completed eight passes for 74 yards with a touchdown and six first downs. It wasn’t fancy, but they exploited matchups against the Bengals linebackers who struggled in coverage.
Terrell Suggs still has it. The veteran pass-rusher made it a long night for Bengals right tackle Bobby Hart, and when he wasn’t beating Hart into the pocket, he was batting down passes at the line of scrimmage.
Not to be outdone, Cincinnati’s defense harassed Joe Flacco throughout, racking up four sacks, 12 deflected passes, four tackles for loss and eight quarterback hits.