Table of Contents
The Cincinnati Bengals weren’t going to give Lamar Jackson a chance to beat them in overtime.
After Ja’Marr Chase scored his third touchdown of the game with 38 seconds left during a monster night for him and Joe Burrow, Bengals head coach Zac Taylor didn’t hesitate to call the 2-point conversion. Jackson was incredible Thursday night, as he has been all season. The Bengals would take advantage of their opportunity on a play from the 2-yard line instead of whatever might happen in overtime.
It was probably the right decision, but it didn’t work out.
Burrow threw an incomplete throw to Tanner Hudson on the 2-point attempt and the Ravens held on for a thrilling 35-34 victory. That’s two tough losses for the Bengals against the Ravens this season, plus a 41-38 overtime loss in Week 5.
On the 2-point conversion, the broadcast showed there may have been two missed calls to the Ravens, a defensive hold and a possible roughing the passer penalty. Neither was penalized and the Ravens won.
Burrow was great, Chase was unstoppable, but the Bengals couldn’t close the door on a much-needed win in Baltimore. Burrow has been a slight step behind Jackson, who threw four touchdowns, including a go-ahead touchdown with less than two minutes left, and the Bengals haven’t been good enough to survive the Ravens. That could cost them a playoff spot.
Burrow had 428 yards and three touchdowns, Chase had 264 yards and three touchdowns but it wasn’t enough. The Bengals are 4-6 this season after a tough loss in which they led by 14 points in the second half. You can’t blame Burrow or the offense for that. The Ravens have simply been better.
They have done everything against the Ravens this season except win.
Big plays in the second half
The first time the Bengals and Ravens met, they combined for 79 points in perhaps the best game in the NFL this season. Then came a low-scoring first half on Thursday night. It turned out that the offenses needed just a little time to warm up. If the first Bengals-Ravens meeting wasn’t the game of the year this NFL season, maybe Thursday night will take that honor.
The game was tied 7-7 at the end of the first half. After an interception was overturned because Ravens cornerback Brandon Stephens did not stay in bounds, Burrow hit Tanner Hudson for a touchdown and a 14-7 lead with 30 seconds left before halftime.
Then the second half turned into a fantastic offensive spectacle, like the first meeting between the teams.
Chase made a big play early in the third quarter with his acceleration. He caught a pass from Burrow, spun down the field and flew past the Ravens’ secondary. Baltimore seemed surprised by his outburst. That 67-yard score gave the Bengals a 21-7 lead. It looked like Cincinnati was headed for a big win, but the Bengals made a big mistake by letting the Ravens get back into the game.
Chase Brown had the ball knocked out of his hands and the Ravens recovered the fumble. Jackson made the kind of play only he can make, as he kept backtracking until he was beyond the 30-yard line, finally getting around the defense and running a tightrope down the sideline to the 1-yard line. That set up Derrick. Henry. landing. Suddenly, the Ravens were back in the game, trailing 21-14.
After that, it was a heavyweight fight, with each offense landing massive punches.
Game tied at the end of the quarter
The Bengals defense gave in and cost Cincinnati a long touchdown. On a short pass to Tylan Wallace, a fourth-year receiver who had never scored a touchdown from scrimmage in his career, the Bengals apparently thought he was out of bounds and eased him up a bit. Wallace kept running and went the entire length for an 84-yard score. Justin Tucker surprisingly missed the extra point, but the Ravens had cut Cincinnati’s lead to 21-20.
Cincinnati had a strange sequence after that, with Burrow throwing deep on third-and-2 and again on fourth down, both times falling incomplete. Cincinnati must wish they had those two decisions back. The Bengals went from having the game under control to seemingly having no idea how to get it back. The Ravens went on a long drive after that and Mark Andrews caught an 18-yard touchdown on third-and-9. The 2-point conversion gave Baltimore a 28-21 lead. The Bengals had the ball and a 14-point lead, and a little more than a quarter later they were trailing with 5:50 left.
Burrow knew what to do. He threw deep to Chase, who torched the Ravens’ secondary for a 70-yard touchdown. Chase had 238 yards at that point and the game was tied again.
But the Bengals needed a stop and that’s not easy against Jackson and the Ravens. On every big play in the second half, the Ravens’ push to take the lead was a series of short gains that moved the chains. On third-and-goal, Jackson threw a touchdown pass to Rashod Bateman for a 5-yard touchdown and a 35-28 lead with 1:49 left.
Burrow had one more shot, although there were no timeouts left. The Bengals converted a fourth-and-10, with Andrei Iosivas barely reaching the line for first down. A mask penalty gave the Bengals 15 more yards. Chase caught a long pass and the Ravens were penalized for roughing the passer on the play. That put the Bengals at the Ravens’ 12-yard line. The Bengals scored on Chase’s touchdown and went for the 2-point conversion, but didn’t get it.
Cincinnati had a great shot to sweep the Ravens, but was unable to achieve either victory. They could rue both losses for a long offseason.
Live84 updates
