The Ravens’ offense hit a low not seen in two decades during their 32-14 defeat to Cincinnati that leaves us with more questions than answers

The Baltimore Ravens are unrecognizable.

Kyle Crabbs — NFL National Writer
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© Phil Didion/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

I don’t recognize these Baltimore Ravens. Even in their bid and push back to first place in the AFC North over the last month, something has felt “off” about the Ravens. There’s no explosiveness in the offense. Lamar Jackson looks like a guy playing through a hoard of bumps and bruises. The only thing that does look recognizable is that takeaways on defense have helped fueled opportunistic scores, which has led to wins.

Takeaways were the name of the game for the Ravens against the Cincinnati Bengals on Thanksgiving night, too — just not in the good way. The Bengals went home for the holiday with a 32-14 victory and the Ravens got a jumpstart on the holiday season in the process; giving the ball away at a pace we haven’t seen from a Ravens team in seemingly forever.

It’s been more than a decade since the Ravens turned the ball over five times in a game

Bengals Joseph Ossai (58) helps take down Ravens Lamar Jackson (8) for the Bengals to take the ball during their game against the Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium on Thanksgiving Thursday November 27, 2025.© Phil Didion/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Four fumbles and an interception — who the heck are these Baltimore Ravens? It’s so out of character for Baltimore that you need to go back more than a decade to find the last time that the Ravens had five giveaways in the same football game.

As a matter of fact, you need to go all the way back to 2013 in Week 4 against the Buffalo Bills, a game the Ravens lost 23-20 in Buffalo. Joe Flacco threw five interceptions in that contest and the Ravens were forced to settle for a short field-goal late in the fourth quarter to cut the lead to three before Flacco’s fifth and final interception iced the game.

But even that reckless offensive performance came on the road. You have to go back to that horrible season in 2007 for the last time the Ravens had this kind of ball security issue at home. Baltimore turned it over five (or more) times twice at home in 2007, once to the Indianapolis Colts and the other, conveniently enough, against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Baltimore Ravens’ games with 5+ giveaways in the last 20 years (since 2006)

  • 2025 Week 13: vs. Cincinnati Bengals (5)
  • 2013 Week 4: @ Buffalo Bills (5)
  • 2008 Week 6: @ Indianapolis Colts (5)
  • 2007 Week 14: vs. Indianapolis Colts (5)
  • 2007 Week 10: vs. Cincinnati Bengals (6)
  • 2007 Week 1: @ Cincinnati Bengals (6)

This is, in and of itself, a first-class ticket to losing football games. There’s been 248 games played where a team has turned the ball over five times or more in a game in the last 20 years. Those teams have a 7.5% win rate in those games. You turn the ball over like that? You will not win.

And that’s where the question circles back to this Ravens team’s issues. Who are they? It doesn’t always feel like they know themselves this year. The good news for the Ravens is they’ll have some extra rest to figure it out ahead of their Week 14 contest against the Steelers. And if Coach Harbaugh has his wits about him, he’ll make sure “ball security” is plastered all over the building between now and then.

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