Reuters

The Bengals came up just short on another fourth quarter drive. Here’s what we learned during Baltimore’s 31-24 win Sunday.

1. The Ravens defense gave up 483 yards, but they made all the big plays to win this massive AFC North game.

With the Bengals inside the ten-yard line with time running out, the Ravens got huge pressure on Andy Dalton for three straight plays while only rushing three men.

Result: Near interception, intentional grounding, sack. Game over. The Ravens gave up big plays and didn’t always win the the line of scrimmage battle, but they came up huge when it mattered.

2. Baltimore’s secondary also made big plays. Dalton seemed confused at few times and threw into heavy coverage. Jimmy Smith had a backbreaking pick in the fourth quarter. Lardarius Webb made a great diving interception. Ed Reed made a nice leaping grab to end a scoring chance late in the first half.

3. Dalton made too many mistakes the last few weeks, but he’s also impressed against tough competition. Who thought he could throw for 373 yards against Baltimore? He hit three throws over 35 yards, including bombs to Jerome Simpson and Andre Caldwell. So much for Dalton’s arm strength being a huge problem.

4. It’s impressive to see how the Bengals bounce back. They turned the ball over twice and gave up two touchdowns in a two minute span to start the fourth quarter. That put them down 31-14 in Baltimore. Most teams roll over there. The Bengals almost forced overtime.

5. The Calvin Johnson Rule came up once again. Bengals tight end Jermaine Gresham appeared to score a touchdown in the fourth quarter, but it was overturned upon review because they ruled he didn’t maintain possession all the way to the ground.

The league continues to be vague with this rule. Based on their interpretations of past rulings — especially Nate Burleson’s touchdown earlier this year — we were surprised they overturned the touchdown.

6. We’re not sure where the Ravens would be without Torrey Smith. Lee Evans played, but was a non-factor. The Ravens offense was hot and cold overall and didn’t close the game well, but Smith had six catches for 165 yards and a score.

7. The Bengals are now in third in the AFC North with two games left against the Ravens and Steelers. Don’t count them out for a Wild Card spot. If the season ended today, they will probably have the sixth spot in the AFC on their own.

They will be favored in remaining games against the Rams, Cardinals, and Browns.