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| Andy Dalton had a rough game, but he set franchise records for passing yards and touchdowns this season while helping lead Cincinnati to a third playoff birth in his three NFL seasons. |
Cory Puffett
After five straight playoff appearances, the Ravens follow
in the footsteps of the 2006 and 2009 Steelers and last year’s Giants as recent
Super Bowl championship to miss the following postseason.
Baltimore had a chance to clinch a playoff birth on Sunday
with a win and either a Miami or San Diego loss. They also could have made the
playoffs with a loss in Cincinnati but that would require too much help.
The Pittsburgh Steelers, who started the season 0-4, finish
2nd in the AFC North, just ahead of the Ravens who fell to third
with their loss.
A relatively high scoring game, Sunday’s AFC North matchup
was sloppy. Neither team lost a fumble, but there were seven total turnovers.
Andy Dalton threw four interceptions and Joe Flacco threw three. One of
Flacco’s was returned for a touchdown.
Dalton’s first three picks turned into field goals for
Baltimore. The fourth was answered with Flacco’s second interception of the
game. Flacco’s third was returned for a clinching touchdown.
Cincinnati will finish no lower than third in playoff
seeding and could clinch a first round bye if New England loses to Buffalo in
their late-afternoon game.
Baltimore’s defense did everything it could to keep their
offense in the game and helped take a 17-17, tie game into the fourth quarter.
But when your running backs average just 3.4 yards per carry and your
quarterback averages just 3.8 yards per attempt (6.4 per completion), you’re
bound to let it slip down the stretch.
The Bengals scored at least 34 points in six of eight home
games this season, despite never scoring more than 27 on the road, and finish
the season undefeated at Paul Brown stadium.
Final Score:
Baltimore Ravens – 17
Cincinnati Bengals – 34
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