Joe Burrow threw four touchdown passes, all after halftime, Tee Higgins caught six passes for 148 yards in the second half, and the Cincinnati Bengals scored on their first five possessions after the break to beat the Baltimore Ravens 35-13 on Sunday, October 25, at M&T Bank Stadium.
Cincinnati improves to 4-2. Baltimore falls to 4-3, loses a second straight division game without Lamar Jackson and has lost five of its last six at home. The Ravens also gave away a double-digit second-half lead for the second week in a row, the 10th time that has happened to them since the start of the 2022 season.
Baltimore’s half
For two quarters, it looked like Baltimore’s day. On the fourth snap of the game, Tyler Huntley, starting again for the injured Jackson, threw short to Zay Flowers, who turned it into a 48-yard touchdown. The Ravens then held the ball for 11 minutes on an 18-play, 78-yard drive in the second quarter, but a false start on fourth-and-1 at the Cincinnati 11 forced them to settle for Tyler Loop’s 34-yard field goal.
Baltimore’s next drive went 13 plays and 82 yards and also ended in a field goal, a 24-yarder by Loop with 50 seconds left in the half. The Ravens led only 13-0 despite outgaining Cincinnati 258-59 before halftime, winning first downs 12-3 and holding the ball for 22:20. Huntley threw for 215 yards in the half, 120 of them to Flowers.
Five drives, five touchdowns
Cincinnati took the second-half kickoff and went 66 yards in nine plays, and Burrow hit Mike Gesicki for a 6-yard touchdown. Baltimore went three-and-out, and the Bengals needed six plays to go ahead: Burrow’s 13-yard touchdown pass to Higgins made it 14-13 with 4:29 left in the third quarter.
The Ravens’ best answer reached the Cincinnati 12, but Huntley’s fourth-and-2 pass for Josh Cuevas fell incomplete on the first snap of the fourth quarter. The Bengals then went 88 yards in six plays, and Samaje Perine scored from the 1 for a 21-13 lead. After a Baltimore punt, Cincinnati went 79 yards in five plays, and Burrow found Ja’Marr Chase for a 2-yard touchdown with 7:25 left.
On the next snap, linebacker Demetrius Knight Jr. intercepted Huntley and returned it 14 yards to the Baltimore 24. Three plays later, Burrow hit Drew Sample for a 16-yard touchdown and the final margin. Baltimore became the first team since 1950 to lead by at least 13 points at halftime and lose by 20 or more.
“Just took a deep breath, kept their composure, led,” Zac Taylor said of his team. “And went out there and put together as good of a second-half performance as I’ve ever seen.” Burrow called his second half “pretty lights out” and said the offense has to play that way for four quarters, not two.
The numbers
- Joe Burrow: 22 of 30 for 292 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions, a 143.3 passer rating; sacked once.
- Bengals receivers: Higgins had six catches for 148 yards and a touchdown, with a long of 44, all after halftime. Chase caught five passes for 62 yards and a touchdown, and Gesicki and Sample each scored.
- Tyler Huntley: 23 of 34 for 298 yards, one touchdown and one interception; sacked four times.
- Ravens playmakers: Flowers caught eight of 11 targets for 137 yards and a touchdown. Derrick Henry was held to 45 yards on 17 carries.
- Defense: Boye Mafe had 1.5 sacks for Cincinnati, Bryan Cook had nine tackles and half a sack, and Knight had the interception. Roquan Smith led Baltimore with eight tackles.
The halves could not have been more different. Baltimore outgained Cincinnati 258-59 in the first half; Cincinnati outgained Baltimore 298-101 in the second and won first downs 18-5 after the break. The Bengals scored touchdowns on all five of their red-zone trips. The Ravens went 0 for 3 inside the 20 and 0 for 2 on fourth down.
Chase said before the game that this series is decided in the fourth quarter, and this time the Bengals owned the final 15 minutes, outscoring Baltimore 21-0 in the fourth quarter. Baltimore has outscored opponents by 65 points in first halves this season and has been outscored by 70 after halftime.
Minter, Hendrickson and the Ravens’ week
Jesse Minter said his team rides momentum too much. “We’re riding the wave when it’s good, and we’re riding the wave when it’s bad,” he said. Jackson missed his third straight game with an ankle injury after practicing on a limited basis during the week, and Baltimore is 1-2 without him. Trey Hendrickson, facing the Bengals for the first time since leaving them in free agency, was credited with two quarterback hits but no tackles.
Both teams came out of the game with injuries. For Cincinnati, safety Kyle Dugger hurt his quadriceps and tight end Erick All Jr. hurt his knee. For Baltimore, rookie guard Vega Ioane left in the first half with a knee injury.
What comes next
Cincinnati hosts the Tennessee Titans on Sunday, November 1, at 1 p.m. ET. Baltimore visits the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, November 1, at 1 p.m. ET.
No published comments yet. Start the conversation.