Baltimore Ravens Beat the Cincinnati Bengals 35-34

Week 10 of the NFL season got underway on Thursday Night Football with a divisional battle between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Baltimore Ravens.

Baltimore came into the game at 6-3, just on the heels of an absolute massacre of the Denver Broncos in which Lamar Jackson posted a perfect passer rating. Meanwhile, the Bengals, who were 4-5 coming into this matchup, have been anything but consistent this season.

Much has been made about what’s wrong with the Bengals, who were considered among the Super Bowl favorites in the AFC coming into the season. The team announced on Thursday morning that it would be without wide receiver Tee Higgins, who continues to nurse an injury.

Meanwhile, Baltimore is positioned to make yet another playoff run under John Harbaugh. Fresh on the heels of the game with the Broncos, Lamar Jackson has cemented himself as a frontrunner for his third MVP Award, and Derrick Henry is widely considered the Offensive Player of the Year, a full two months before the season concludes.

In addition to the divisional rivalry that’s always in play when these two teams face off, there was much discussion about the X’s and O’s in this one. Cincinnati does not run the ball a lot. Franchise legend Joe Mixon was the star of the running game for years in Cincy, but he’s with the Houston Texans now.

While Chase Brown, his replacement, has played well, Cincinnati usually uses him as a receiver. Meanwhile, Baltimore has struggled mightily against the pass this season, an odd statement to make about a franchise that always plays incredible defense.

Did you miss out on any of the action Thursday Night? If so, we’ve got you covered with our weekly recap of Thursday Night Football.

The Ravens Get off to a Sluggish Start

Cincinnati got the ball to start the game in front of a raucous crowd in Baltimore. Unfortunately for the home team, that crowd fell silent early as Joe Burrow and the Bengals’ offense moved the ball down the field with relative ease.

A couple untimely penalties certainly didn’t do anything to help Baltimore, but the Ravens’ defense came up strong with the Bengals only five yards out of the end zone, forcing an incompletion on third down.

At least, it looked like an incompletion. Cornerback Brandon Stephens was given the near impossible task of guarding Jamaar Chase, who he held in the end zone resulting in the Bengals getting a fresh set of downs from the one-yard line. Chase Brown got a rare rushing opportunity and punched it in, giving the Bengals an early lead.

The Ravens offense was unable to respond, holding the ball for only one minute and 29 seconds before punting it back to the Bengals.

After forcing a punt, Baltimore got the ball back, and the offense started to look like it has throughout the 2024 NFL season. Lamar Jackson followed up a beautiful pass to Mark Andrews with a scramble that resulted in a near first down.

The play that saw Jackson scamper down the sideline came after he scrambled backwards for nearly 10 yards before turning up field. The drive ended when Jackson looked like he was calling his own number inside the Cincinnati five-yard line before tossing a picture-perfect pass to a wide open Nelson Agholor.

Most of the second quarter was a standoff between both defenses, but the Bengals managed to put up a second touchdown, allowing them to go into the half with a one-score lead.

However, the bigger story for the Baltimroe Ravens involved safety Kyle Hamilton, who went down awkwardly late in the first half. Hamilton was in obvious pain as he tried to push himself back to his feet before limping off the field.

Before the game made it to halftime, it was announced that Hamilton was having x-rays performed on his foot and ankle, but no news had come about his return to the game.

The Ravens Look to Rebound in the Second Half

To say that the Ravens struggled to begin the second half would be an understatement. The offense, which had uncharacteristically strayed away from the run in the first half, went back to trying to pass to no avail. Lamar Jackson looked to have the newly-acquired Dionte Johnson wide open on a third down but Johnson lost his footing and fell to the ground, yards from the where the ball landed.

The Ravens punted again, and Cincinnati quickly took advantage of the change of possession and the loss of Kyle Hamilton. Joe Burrow found Jamaar Chase, his favorite target, and the pair connected for a 67-yard touchdown. Evan McPherson’s point after made it 21-7 Cincinnati and the stunned Ravens fans who packed into M&T Bank Stadium fell silent.

When the Ravens second possession in the third quarter came to a screeching halt following their seventh penalty of the game, Baltimore fans did something they rarely do. They booed Lamar Jackson and the offense off the field. While everyone assumed that this game would be tough, AFC North games are notoriously difficult for all teams, no one expected the high-powered Ravens offense to look so lifeless.

That once solemn crowd came to life about halfway through the third quarter. Chase Brown took a handoff up the middle where he was met by Marlon Humphrey and Roquan Smith, two of the leaders on the Baltimore defense.

Brown lost the ball, giving Baltimore excellent field position. After a mind-blowing play by Lamar Jackson that saw him drop back nearly 20 yards before scrambling for a gain of eight years, Baltimore had a first-and-goal on the Bengals one.

Derrick Henry furthered his case for being the best signing of the offseason when he scored once again, marking the 10th consecutive game that he has scored a touchdown in this season.

An Unlikely Source for a Baltimore Score

Baltimore’s offense this year has revolved around Derrick Henry. Zay Flowers had established himself as WR1 in Baltimore, and Mark Andrews is always a threat.

However, it was Tylan Wallace who was on the receiving end of the biggest play of the night, when on third and two, Lamar Jackson found Wallace in the flat for what looked like a safe, first-down throw. Wallace made three defenders miss as he tiptoed down the sideline for an 84-yard touchdown.

However, all was not well for Baltimore, as Justin Tucker, the most accurate kicker in the history of the NFL, missed the extra point, leaving Baltimore behind by one point, 21-20.

Down to the Wire

After both teams scored again, including a deep pass from Burrow to Chase, the game was knotted up at 28 with a little more than five minutes to go. Baltimore got the ball and preceded to march down the field.

Things were tense in Baltimore, as Cincinnati had scored on its first play on the previous drive. Scoring too quickly meant giving the ball back to Burrow and company against the flawed Ravens’ defense. However, Baltimore couldn’t completely milk the clock, as the Ravens needed points, and after Tucker’s earlier miss, they were hesitant to leave it to chance.

With 1:49 to go in the fourth quarter, Lamar Jackson connected with Rashod Bateman for a touchdown. Tucker did not miss this time, and his point after put Baltimore up by seven. This marked the fourth straight drive for Baltimore that ended in a touchdown.

Sure enough, Baltimore left too much time on the clock. When combined with more untimely penalties for the home team, it was just too much to overcome. Once again, Joe Burrow linked up with Jamaar Chase for a touchdown. Zack Taylor, with all of the momentum behind his squad, made the decision to go for two.

The Baltimore defense, which had struggled all night, finally made a stand, forcing an incompletion, and Baltimore held the lead 35-34.

Burrow had an incredible game, even in defeat. He ended the night completing 34 of his 56 passes for 427 yards and four touchdowns, three of which went to Jamaar Chase. Meanwhile, Jackson went 25-33 for 290 yards and four touchdowns as Baltimore swept the season series with the Bengals.

What’s Next?

Baltimore heads to Pittsburgh next week to take on Russell Wilson and the Steelers, while the Bengals make the long flight to LA to face Justin Herbert and the Chargers.

Be sure to tune into Thursday Night Football next week for an exciting matchup, as Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders battle with NFC-East rivals Jalen Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles at 8 PM ET on Amazon Prime.