Ravens hound Dalton into miserable day
CINCINNATI — Andy Dalton's passes got batted in the air and picked off. His arm was hit as he tried to throw, resulting in a fumble for yet another turnover. Rarely has the Bengals quarterback looked so bad.
Dalton matched his career high with four interceptions and lost a fumble Sunday, helping Baltimore pull away to a 20-0 victory. It's the first time Cincinnati has been shut out in a home opener.
"I know the type of player I can be," Dalton said. "I can't let this affect the next one."
The Ravens have a history of tormenting Dalton. He's thrown four interceptions
only one other time during his seven-year career, against the Ravens in 2013. He’s thrown three interceptions in a game nine times, four times against Baltimore.
Two of the interceptions Sunday were tipped. One was forced into double coverage in the end zone.
The Ravens took control with a pair of touchdowns 24 seconds apart late in the first half. Quarterback Joe Flacco saw the Bengals ready to blitz with no defender in the middle of the field, and he hit Jeremy Maclin in stride on a slant for a 48-yard catch-and-run score.
Two plays later, linebacker Terrell Suggs batted Dalton’s pass high in the air and Lardarius Webb grabbed it. Terrance West’s 2-yard touchdown run made it 17-0.
The Ravens didn’t need anything else, given how the defense was dominating.
The Ravens’ biggest question was how Flacco would hold up after missing all of camp and the preseason with a bad back. The defense made sure he didn’t have to do much. Flacco was 9 of 17 for 121 yards with an interception against a defense missing suspended linebacker Vontaze Burfict and cornerback Adam “Pacman” Jones.
“It was one of our old-fashioned games,” said Flacco, in his 10th season. “It reminded me of one of our games when I was a rookie.”
With the latest loss, Dalton is 6-6 career against Baltimore with 12 touchdowns and 17 interceptions. He was under constant pressure Sunday as he hit 16 of 31 passes for 170 yards. Last season, he threw only eight interceptions in 16 games; he’s halfway to that total already.
“Andy is our leader, and none of us in the locker room are worried about that,” running back Jeremy Hill said. “We know he can play at a high level. He has done so much for this organization and our team; that is the last thing on our mind.”
It wasn’t all Dalton’s fault. An inexperienced offensive line got shredded in its first game together, allowing five sacks. The Bengals managed only 221 total yards, including 77 rushing.
Left tackle Cedric Ogbuehi, right tackle Jake Fisher and right guard Trey Hopkins have 19 combined NFL starts. Hopkins suffered a left knee injury late in the first half.
Asked to assess the line’s performance, Ogbuehi said, “Not good at all. This offense goes off us. We have to be better.”
The Ravens limited Bengals star receiver A.J. Green to five catches for 74 yards, making sure he wouldn’t add to his history of big games against them.