On Thursday night, the Baltimore Ravens prevailed in a game. That was excellent. It was made even greater by the knowledge that the Flock is now essentially guaranteed a spot in the postseason and that they defeated the Cincinnati Bengals, a division rival, by a score of 34–20.
Due to a fractured fibula and ankle ligament injury on Friday, tight end Mark Andrews was declared out of the game early and for the rest of the season, which unfortunately meant that the Ravens also lost badly on TNF.
What caused the defeat (and the ones from which Baltimore was fortunately spared)? Logan Wilson, the reckless linebacker for the Bengals, and his incredible tackles.
Mark Andrews, the tight end, was injured during the season by a soon-to-be-banned hip-drop tackle, as was previously mentioned. Wilson targeted Lamar Jackson’s ankle in the same quarter, causing the quarterback for the Ravens some difficulty; fortunately, Lamar was able to prevent more injury. Ultimately, in the fourth quarter, Wilson’s hit on wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr.’s shoulder caused him to leave the game, clearly in discomfort.
Frustrated by the resulting “narrative,” Bengals head coach Zac Taylor backed Wilson, labelling it as “reckless.” When wrapping off his news conference on Friday, Taylor stated that Wilson “plays with a toughness and a physicality that I think is important for that position.”
Wilson’s controversial hip-drop play, which is currently legal, was used on Andrews and has been a hot topic of conversation all season. Although the NFL Players Association is reportedly opposed to the league outlawing such a tackle, the NFL has promised to outlaw the play in 2024 following an offseason league review.
It was brought up during the NFL owners meetings in October, according to ESPN, that a “hip-drop’s injury risk is 25 times greater than a normal tackle.”
Following the game, Ravens coach John Harbaugh doubted if Wilson’s tackle on Andrews was necessary and expressed his fear, which was validated on Friday when Andrews’ season-ending injury was revealed.
Wilson’s coach did not even slightly criticise him despite his involvement in many plays that resulted in injuries (three tackles that were bound to cause injuries).
As Week 12 approaches, the Ravens lead the AFC North 8-3 before taking a bye. Joe Burrow, who had concealed his wrist issues from the injury report, cost the Bengals the rest of the season as they finished 5-5.
