Vontaze Burfict is the best player on the Cincinnati Bengals roster, and that fact has been proven true this afternoon as he has been gravely missed by his teammates. The Ravens have been able to score multiple times, and the Bengals have not had many chances to get on the field. It appears that the Bengals are a defensive team that gets its energy from this man, and his suspension has been a blow to their confidence. We should consider what it means to have a weaker defense, an impressionable offense, and an opponent that sees an obvious weakness.
The Ravens offense
No one could have known that the Ravens offense would be this good if Burfict was not on the field. The Bengals have a good defense, but it appears that Burfict is the emotional leader of this team. Sluggish play by the Bengals is a result of a lack of energy that comes from Burfict, and that is why the Bengals gave him an extension even though he is suspended. The Bengals realize that this man is the MVP of their team, and he gives them emotional energy much like Ray Lewis used to give emotional energy to the Ravens. Could Burfict turn out to be the best player in the history of the Bengals? That appears to be a strong possibility considering how badly they are playing without him.
Bengals defense
The Bengals defense has been deflated, and they are likely getting tired because they are on the field so much. If they cannot stop the Ravens, the Bengals offense may sit on the sidelines for most of the game. Cincinnati cannot score if they do not have time to get AJ Green, Joe Mixon, and Andy Dalton on the same page.
The Bengals offensive staff must be very frustrated knowing that they are being stopped in all phases of their game, and they must work harder next week to create quick scores.
Fast strikes from the Ravens
The Ravens are not wasting any time scoring, and that is a strategy that will help their team protect Joe Flacco. The Ravens have a very expensive quarterback under center who cannot afford to get hurt at all.
Baltimore's season would be lost if Flacco were to miss more time, and they will continue to try to score as fast as possible because there is no other way to keep Flacco out of danger.
The Bengals need to wait
The Bengals should accept the 0-3 start that may occur while they are missing Vontaze Burfict, and they can start to recover their season once he comes back. The MVP of their team will give them the energy that may allow them to win several games in a row because they have no chance against the Ravens right now.
