The Bengals took on the Baltimore Ravens in a Thursday night divisional matchup, coming in on a four game losing streak. The defence showed improvement last week, and the return of Joe Burrow sparked some additional optimism. Could the Bengals get it done on primetime?
Well, the Bengals opened the scoring with a field goal, but the Ravens went right down for a TD on their opening drive. Jackson’s first pass went for 17 yards to Kolar, and they continued their way forward into Cincinnati territory. On the 28 yard line, Henry took the handoff and found some room, getting into the end zone for a TD.
7-3 Ravens.
The Bengals went 3 and out, punting the ball back to the Ravens. However, Joseph Ossai got home for the strip sack on Baltimore’s next drive, and Cedric Johnson recovered it at the 2 yard line. But with 4 chances to get 2 yards, 3 incompletions and a stuffed run led to a turnover on downs. The play calling lacked creativity and was reminiscent of backyard, “just get open,” football.
But the defence forced another punt, which led to a second Bengals field goal. Then, Jackson completed a pass to Likely, his TE, who proceeded to seemingly take it all the way for a TD. It would have been a 44 yard score, but Jordan Battle punched the ball out just before he crossed the goal line, and it went through the end zone, leading to a touchback. On their ensuing drive, the Bengals would kick their third field goal of the game. The highlight was an impressive 43 yard snag by Ja’Marr Chase.
9-7 Bengals.
Yet another fumble by the Ravens, this one being Jackson’s second of the game, was recovered by the Bengals. Cedric Johnson came up with his second recovery of the game. This led to a 4th field goal of the 1st half for Evan McPherson.
12-7 Bengals at the half.
The Bengals defence forced a 3 and out to start the half, and the offence then went to work. After a handful of short pickups, a pass interference call moved the chains on 3rd down. They continued to move the ball down the field, and from 14 yards out, Burrow capped off the drive with a TD pass to Tanner Hudson.
19-7 Bengals.
Baltimore responded. Jackson hit Andrews for 19 on the first play. Then, they were able to run the ball with ease, whether it was Henry, Jackson, or Mitchell carrying the ball. Mitchell, the backup RB, was the one to cap off the drive. It was an 18 yard run.
19-14 Bengals.
We have seen some back and forth action between these two teams in the past, and this continued with the next drive. After a couple of solid gains, a 14 yard completion to Chase on 3rd down kept the drive alive. Then, Burrow took a deep shot to Andrei Iosivas. He hauled it in, and although it was his only catch of the game, it was a big one. 29 yards for the TD, restoring Cincy’s two score lead.
26-14 Bengals.
The Ravens went driving a few more times in the 4th quarter, but a turnover on downs was sandwiched in between a Demetrius Knight interception and a fumble. The pick and the fumble each led to field goals for the Bengals. This added up to a staggering 6 for Evan McPherson, in addition to his 2 extra points.
32-14 Bengals.
The Bengals improve to 4-8 after their upset win. Still two games out of the division, it seems like they would need to run the table to have a shot. When hope seemed to be lost after a 4 game losing streak, they might still be hanging on by a thread. It is still premature to be talking about making a run, but a win in Buffalo next week changes. But of course, the Bills, despite a few shaky performances, will certainly be a tough test. We’ll see if the Bengals are up for it.
