Like it or not, Chad Ochocinco’s trash-talking finally paid off. It was apparent that the Ravens were tired of hearing Ochocinco run his mouth, whether it was on his Twitter page or through the sights and sounds of the media. Either way, it seemed like all the frustrations that were building up throughout the week were let out when Ray Lewis came across the middle and popped off the helmet of a defenseless Ochocinco. That might have collectively been what the Ravens felt like doing to Ochocinco, but it’s not what they should’ve done. That 15-yard penalty gave the Cardiac Cats new life and they, once again, won a game in the final seconds. It was another tough loss for a Ravens team that looked to be unstoppable a couple weeks ago. Maybe this will bring the team back down to reality, though, and help them get back their focus. Here are this week’s awards.
The POG
Mr. Ball-hawk himself, Ed Reed. It just seems like he always knows exactly when and where the opposing quarterback is going to throw the ball, and he gets there just in the nick of time. I’ve never seen any defensive player have such a nose for the end zone like Reed does. It seems like whenever he picks a ball off he’s either running it in for a touchdown or at least pitching it back to one of his teammates so they can run it in. In Sunday’s game, he picked off Carson Palmer in the second quarter and took it to the house and he also punched the ball out of Ochocinco’s arm just before halftime to stop a promising Bengals drive. It’s too bad the Ravens couldn’t reward Reed’s effort with a win, but I’m sure they will have plenty of chances to redeem themselves as the season goes on.
The “Oh, S***” Moment
Just when you thought it couldn’t happen to the Ravens, it did. Another last second touchdown toss from Palmer silenced the roaring M&T Bank Stadium crowd and left them in a state of utter shock and disbelief. It was almost the exact same play the Bengals ran on the Steelers with they beat them with just seconds left a couple weeks ago. The ball was on a rope and just missed the outstretched hands of Ray Lewis and floated right into the arms of Andre Caldwell. The Ravens had more than enough chances to stop the Bengals on the last drive, but a couple of ill-advised penalties and a shifty Palmer prevented them from earning the win.
The Party Pooper
This award goes to a guy who crashed the Ravens 40-game, no 100-yard rusher party, Cedric Benson. Of all the great running backs the Ravens have faced over the last two-plus seasons, Benson didn’t seem like the probable candidate to break the streak. But to his credit, Benson has looked good since being signed by the Bengals and currently leads the league in rushing with 487 yards. Benson finished the game with 27 rushes for 120 yards including a 28-yard touchdown run in the third quarter that put him over the 100-yard mark and gave the Bengals a 10-7 lead. Last week is history, but the Ravens may have to wait until after their bye week to start another streak because they face the league’s second-leading rusher, Adrian Peterson, in Week 6. We wish you the best of luck, defense.
Speaking of next week, the Ravens will face another stiff defense in the Vikings and will most likely need to win this game either with their defense or through the air with Flacco. The Vikings run defense, much like the Ravens, is one of the best in the league especially with Pat and Kevin Williams plugging up the middle. So, it looks like the pressure will once again be on Flacco to withstand the Vikings defense and the hostile crowd and pull out a victory against an undefeated team with a Hall of Fame quarterback. Show us what you’re made of, Joe.
