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Ravens DC Don Martindale is not happy with Bengals' field goal to avoid shutout in final seconds

From the first few drives, last Sunday’s game between the Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals was lopsided.

One of the NFL’s best teams met one of its worst, and the Ravens feasted on Bengals rookie quarterback Joe Burrow. The Bengals offense finished the game averaging 3.2 yards per play and was 3-of-16 on third down with three turnovers and seven sacks allowed.

The Ravens came away with a 27-3 win, but those latter three points were apparently worth some drama in a game with precious little suspense.

Ravens DC mad about field goal

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, bottom left, tries to retrieve his fumble as Baltimore Ravens cornerback Marcus Peters (24) and defensive end Jihad Ward (53) challenge him for the recovery during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 11, 2020, in Baltimore. The ball bounced out of bounds and the Bengals retained possession. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
The Ravens defense wanted a shutout. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Ravens defensive coordinator Don Martindale took issues with the Bengals’ decision to kick a field goal in the final minute and avoid a shutout.

At the time, the Bengals were down 27-0 with 37 seconds left and had fourth-and-7 on the Ravens’ 20-yard line. Clearly, there was nothing the team could do to avoid its third loss of the season, but they still lined up for a 38-yard field goal for Randy Bullock.

When asked about the field goal, Martindale had something to say about Bengals head coach Zac Taylor:

“He knew what it was because it was awful quiet when I yelled it across the field. There are some people that take that as a victory. We’ll see. We’ll have plenty to talk about the next time we play them.”

The Ravens and Bengals are scheduled to meet again in Week 17 in Cincinnati.

Ravens head coach John Harbaugh was reportedly more understanding, noting the defense twice had chances to seal the shutout on fourth-and-1 earlier in the Bengals’ final drive.

Per ESPN, the Bengals’ field goal was only the fifth time a team kicked a field goal in the final minute to avoid a shutout since the 1970 merger. Only two others apparently did it while down more than 20 points: a 38-3 loss for the 1970 Bengals under Paul Brown and a 20-3 loss for the 2006 Tampa Bay Buccaneers under Jon Gruden.

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