Week 5 is a little early for a playoff game, but it sure felt that way when the Baltimore Ravens faced the Cincinnati Bengals in what turned out to be a magnificent quarterback duel and a 41-38 overtime victory. for Baltimore.
Week 5 is also a little early for a referendum game, but that’s how Joe Burrow and the Bengals sure felt.
Week 5 is definitely It’s a little early to crown the touchdown pass of the year, but Lamar Jackson may have done it for the Baltimore Ravens.
Jackson appeared to make a catastrophic mistake in overtime, fumbling the ball on one play, but Cincinnati missed a winning field goal, and Derrick Henry made the Bengals pay on the next play with a 51-yard sprint that set up the game-winning goal. Baltimore field. .
The instant classic matchup started out as a typical AFC North rock fight, but the second half turned into an Olympic sprint. The teams combined for a staggering six consecutive touchdowns to start the second half, then settled things with a chaotic back-and-forth overtime.
The match started with a bit of history. On the Ravens’ first drive, Henry reached the end zone for his 100th career touchdown; He is just the 27th player in NFL history to reach triple digits in touchdowns. Jackson later found Rashod Bateman for a 14-7 lead midway through the second quarter.
But then the 2024 Bengals started to look more like the Bengals of yesteryear, or the Tigers of Burrow’s college days at LSU. Cincinnati stopped Henry in the end zone for a safety, then scored another 15 unanswered points to take a 24-14 lead.
Burrow, who has effectively addressed any lingering injury issues, delivered two highlight passes in that run, starting with a 41-yard touchdown pass to Ja’Marr Chase:
He later found Andrei Iosivas in double coverage with a pinpoint rainbow that set up Burrow’s third touchdown pass and Tee Higgins’ second:
Also in the mix: a strange play where the refs didn’t let Cincinnati throw the ball… then hit the Bengals with a delay-of-game penalty because they didn’t throw the ball.
The second half was a full-speed sprint, with the first six combined possessions ending in touchdowns, none smoother than Jackson’s brilliant disaster-to-glory touchdown pass with less than six minutes left in the game:
Burrow’s interception late in the fourth quarter ended the second half’s streak of nothing but touchdowns at the worst possible time for Cincinnati. Fortunately for the Bengals, Jackson and the Ravens couldn’t turn that into another touchdown; They managed to get a 56-yard field goal from Justin Tucker to tie the game at 38.
Then came overtime and Jackson’s crucial mistake. Deep in Cincinnati territory and driving, the Ravens looked poised to score a game-winning touchdown. But Jackson fumbled and Cincinnati played conservatively to set up a field goal… which Evan McPherson missed after a botched grab.
On the next play, Henry drove 51 yards, setting up the winning field goal.
The loss ruined what had been an exceptional day for Burrow. He threw for a career-high 392 yards and five touchdowns, but that interception in the fourth quarter when the Bengals led by 3 allowed the Ravens to force overtime. Jackson, meanwhile, was 26 of 42 for 348 yards and four touchdowns, and the missed field goal meant his fumble in overtime didn’t end up costing Baltimore the game. Henry carried the ball 15 yards for 92 yards.
Cincinnati is now in a world of trouble, 1-4 on the season and looking for a huge mountain to climb to get back into the playoff hunt. Baltimore, meanwhile, has resolved all concerns after its 0-2 start, with three straight wins and an offensive attack that is clearly working (almost) perfectly.
Looking ahead, the Ravens have the Battle of I-95 next week, taking on Washington, followed by road games against Tampa Bay and Cleveland. Meanwhile, Cincinnati will have road games against the Giants and Cleveland before hosting the Eagles. By then, the identity of both teams will be much clearer, for better or worse.
