BALTIMORE − You could see the game slipping away from the Cincinnati Bengals with each stride Isaiah Likely took, ball in-hand, toward the Bengals' end zone. The crowd bounced and screamed as Likely approached. One of the referees even signaled for a successful touchdown.
That score was likely to put Baltimore up, 14-6, and it was easy enough to imagine the Bengals' porous defense capitulating from that point on. But the play wasn't successful at all. At the last possible moment − the very last yard separating Likely from the touchdown, in fact − Cincinnati's Jordan Battle jarred the ball loose on the 1-yard line.
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Likely spilled the ball from his grip, and it rolled onto the purple grass of the end zone and then out of bounds. The play would be ruled a fumble and a Ravens turnover. The Bengals would take possession of the ball at their own 20-yard line and kicker Evan McPherson would cap the drive, drilling one of his six field goals in the game for a 9-7 lead with 2:39 to go in the second quarter.
Bengals Joseph Ossai (58) helps take down Ravens Lamar Jackson (8)for Bengals Cedric Johnson (52) to gain possesion of the ball during their game against the Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium on Thanksgiving Thursday November 27, 2025.Cincinnati led every second for the rest of the contest, and more turnovers to come would help cement that advantage.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementOn Baltimore's next possession, star quarterback Lamar Jackson coughed up one of his three fumbles in the game. He had four turnovers in total by night's end, but his giveaway late in the first half allowed McPherson to kick his fourth and final field goal of the first half for a 12-7 Bengals lead.
For Cincinnati, the defensive side would squelch further Ravens scoring opportunities before eventually cruising to a 32-14 upset win against Baltimore at M&T Bank Stadium on Thanksgiving Night.
McPherson's six field goals were a major storyline in the game. The biggest storyline yet was the return of quarterback Joe Burrow from a turf-toe injury that required surgery. Eventually, Burrow would throw two touchdown passes to help stretch the lead out.
Cincinnati's defense was undeniable on the night, forcing five turnovers on a short week to aid significantly in trouncing an AFC North divisional rival.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementBruising Baltimore running back Derrick Henry was held to just 60 yards on the ground, although he scored one of the Ravens' two rushing scores.
Jackson threw for 246 yards but was sacked three times and intercepted once.
The Bengals defense didn't just survive the test the Ravens posed. Cincinnati aced it in a game that head coach Zac Taylor amounted to the first complete-game performance of 2025.
"That was kind of the first all-around game we'd played all season," Taylor said. "It started with our defense. The five turnovers. Just getting them off the field. Getting our offense in great field position. Getting stops in huge moments when they had a chance to gain some momentum. Couldn't be prouder of those guys."
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementCedric Johnson plucked Jackson's first fumble out of the air after a Joseph Ossai sack and later landed on another Jackson fumble. Following a boisterous on-field awards ceremony carried on live TV, Johnson emerged with a turkey leg.
After enjoying the leg on his triumphant march into the locker room, Johnson said it only took the defense one turnover to turn the momentum.
"Everybody knows when it comes to football, (turnovers) come in bunches," Johnson said. "That's exactly what happened today. That's just giving the younger guys hope to keep working at it... The punch. The tip. Get your hands up. If you're not getting to the rest, get your hands up. You can tip a pass and change the game. That's exactly what happened."
In fact, Myles Murphy tipped a Jackson pass late in the third quarter on what looked to be a promising Ravens drive. The ball then fluttered into the hands of rookie linebacker Demetrius Knight Jr.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe Bengals defense entered the contest ranked the worst total defense in the NFL with about 415 yards allowed per game. On Nov. 27 at Baltimore, Cincinnati allowed 346 total yards.
The Ravens were just 3-for-10 on third downs, and their 14 points were the third-fewest they'd scored in the midst of a season where they're legitimately contending for the AFC North title.
Big-picture, the Bengals defense appears to be steadying itself after conceding 80 combined points in games against the New York Jets Oct. 26 and the Chicago Bears Nov. 2.
Maybe there's something to build on defensively in this Cincinnati locker room after all.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement"The only thing I've seen change is the attention to detail," Knight said. "Not switching up who we are or what we do. Just being more intentional about what we're doing. So, continue to trust what the coaches are giving us game-plan-wise and and really trusting it. Going out and executing it to the best of our ability."
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: 'It started with our defense.' How the Bengals dominated the Ravens
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