Baltimore Ravens - Cincinnati Bengals: game recap

What I liked about tonight's game is a very short list:

1) A rejuvenated run game (sort of). The run game looked improved, which will be good news when the Ravens find themselves with a lead, but tonight Brian Billick was allergic to running the ball when it mattered most: 1st and goal at the 5-yard line with less than two minutes to play and the Ravens down by a touchdown.

Here is what I did not like about the Baltimore Ravens' 27-20 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals:

1) The play-calling. Because of a penalty, Brian Billick had seven plays inside of the 5-yard line to score a game-tying touchdown, but he could not get it done. Instead of handing the ball to his 40-million-dollar man, Willis McGahee, Billick chose instead to ask backup quarterback Kyle Boller to win the game with his arm, which even without hindsight I would have been able to tell you was a bad idea.

2) The turnovers. Six turnovers by the Ravens, including three lost fumbles on three straight possessions in the first quarter. The Ravens would have had eight chances to score from within the 5-yard line, but the game all but ended when Kyle Boller threw a third-down interception with about a minute to play. In all fairness, the final turnover was thrown square into the chest of Todd Heap, who literally and figuratively dropped the ball when it mattered most.

3) The injuries. Lots of the Ravens' best players hurt themselves tonight. Ray Lewis reportedly played the entire game with a torn triceps, which he is said to have injured on the team's third defensive play of the game. If he has a torn triceps, he will become a fixture on the sidelines (bad news). Also, both Steve McNair and Jonathan Ogden left the game and did not return because of injuries (groin and toe, respectively). A few other guys were banged up, hopefully not seriously.

Even though I could go on and on, I'd rather not dwell on the negative.

Up next: New York Jets (Sunday, September 16 at 4:15 p.m. EST)

Ray Lewis reportedly injured himself on this tackle: