BALTIMORE -- It's easy to say cornerback Chykie Brown was the reason the Baltimore Ravens fell to the Cincinnati Bengals.
Brown did get burned by Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green for a 77-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter for what became the deciding score. That's just not looking at the big picture.
Brown actually held up well in his second career start, and the Ravens would've been able to withstand one deep touchdown pass to Green if the offense had shown up before halftime. By my count, Brown gave up a handful of catches, which is a decent number considering the Ravens rarely got pressure on quarterback Andy Dalton and finished with no sacks.
You can only fault Brown for making his biggest mistake at the biggest point of the game. Two plays after the Ravens took the lead on an 80-yard touchdown to Steve Smith, Brown allowed the momentum-killing completion to Green.
“I blame it on me. I put that one me,” Brown said. “I was looking for the deep ball, but I have to play better technique. I have to stay on top of the man and that didn’t happen.”
Honestly, was anyone really surprised with the result? Brown, who struggled most of the offseason, was trying to cover one of the best wide receivers in the game.
Based on the Ravens' history with Green, it was only a matter of time before it happened. Green caught three passes that traveled at least 40 yards in the air last season against the Ravens.
Brown is just the latest Ravens defender to feel the sting of trying to cover Green.
“The coverage was there,” coach John Harbaugh added. “It’s a matter of a great player that got a step behind us and made a great play. Chykie got a hand in the air; he was beat by a step, though. He should stay on top there and he knows that.”
Before the game, many Ravens fans grimaced when it was announced that Lardarius Webb was inactive with a back injury and Brown would replace the three-year starter. It was assumed that the Bengals would throw in Brown's direction every time Green lined up on right right side.
For the most part, Brown went unnoticed on the field, which is a compliment for cornerbacks. His solid play helped the Ravens stop the Bengals on 10 of 14 third downs and kept them out of the end zone until 4:58 left in the game.
"We picked a hell of a time to let them in the end zone, if you ask me," linebacker Terrell Suggs.
That's all you can blame Brown for -- bad timing.