In an AFC North division clash, the Baltimore Ravens took on the Cincinnati Bengals. It was the battle of the elite quarterbacks: Lamar Jackson vs Joe Burrow. Both guys won a Heisman trophy in college, led their team to an AFC championship game, and are considered top five at the quarterback position.
Game Recap
The Ravens got the ball first and wasted no time getting down the field. Wide receiver Zay Flowers was involved early on, catching a 23-yard pass. They got to the red zone, where Jackson ran five yards for the touchdown.
He was later ruled down at the one-yard line, so they handed off to Derrick Henry on the next play. He ran it in for the TD, and they got themselves on the board. That marked Henry’s 100th career touchdown.
The Bengals got the ball next, but the offense stalled as they only managed to get nine yards. They were forced to punt, and Baltimore got the ball at their 16-yard line. They got into Bengals territory, but Jackson took a sack and then threw an incomplete pass which forced them to punt.
Cincinnati started at their own 16 and quickly got into Ravens territory. Burrow threw some deep passes to Moss and Gesicki. Chase Brown also ran the ball to gain more yards, and they eventually got into the red zone. They only faced a 3rd once, which was converted into a touchdown after Burrow found Higgins for 11 yards.
The Ravens tried to answer on their next drive, but it ended with them punting after only gaining five yards. The Bengals’ next drive also ended with them punting after Burrow was sacked for a loss of seven yards. They had to punt at their own 13, and Tylan Wallace returned the punt for 11 yards to set them up at their own 49.
After being set up with a good field position, Baltimore immediately moved into Cincinnati territory. Wide receiver Rashod Bateman was involved, catching a pass for 18 yards. Henry then ran the ball for five yards. He ran for seven more yards to put them at the Bengals’ 21-yard line.
Jackson threw two incompletions before finding Bateman for a 16-yard touchdown to retake the lead. The Bengals got the ball back, but the drive ended with them punting after losing seven yards due to the quarterback getting sacked.
Despite having to punt, the Bengals were able to put some points on the board after getting a safety. The Ravens had the ball at their 2-yard line and gave it to Henry, but he was tackled by Sam Hubbard in the end zone and lost the ball.
Cincinnati got the ball, but they only gained 17 yards and never got into Ravens territory. The Ravens got the ball back and even converted on a 4th and 1. But the offense stalled as they could not get into the Bengals’ territory, so once again, they had to punt.
With 34 seconds left in the first half, the Bengals knew they had to put some points on the board. In just 25 seconds, they ran four plays for 79 yards that led to a touchdown. They also tried the two-point conversion, which was successful. This was their first lead of the game.
The second half was an offensive clinic as both teams took turns scoring touchdowns. Both teams had an answer for each other, and the fans were watching a masterclass performance between the quarterbacks.
Cincinnati got the ball first and scored a touchdown to increase their lead to 10. The Ravens answered with a touchdown of their own after Jackson threw a 55-yard pass to tight end Charlie Kolar to put them 1st and goal.
There were two highlight moments during the fourth quarter. The first highlight came from the Bengals, where Burrow found his guy Ja’Marr Chase for a 70-yard touchdown. It was their third possession in the second half, and it only took 11 seconds. None of the defenders could catch Chase.
The second highlight moment was on the Ravens’ side where they were in the red zone. It was also their third possession of the second half. It was 2nd and goal, and Jackson bobbled the snap but quickly recovered it. Hubbard tried to tackle him, but Jackson hit the stiff arm on him. He got the ball out to Isaiah Likely, who caught it in the endzone for a touchdown.
With a three-point lead, the Bengals had a chance to ice the game. They got into Ravens territory, but a false start penalty pushed them back five yards. Then a pass that was meant for Chase got picked off by Marlon Humphrey. This was the first turnover of the game by either team.
Set up at their own 28, Baltimore got it all the way to Cincinnati’s 38-yard line where they decided to settle for the field goal. It was a 56-yard attempt, which Justin Tucker made to tie the game 38-38. There was still enough time for the Bengals to try to win the game, but regulation ended after they had to punt.
Baltimore won the toss and elected to receive the ball, meaning they could win it with a touchdown. They got into Bengals territory, but Jackson turned it over after a fumble was recovered by Germaine Pratt.
They decided to run the ball three straight times and set up Evan McPherson for a 53-yard attempt. The kick was no good, so the Ravens had another chance. Derrick Henry received the ball and ran for 51 yards before getting tackled at the Bengals’ six-yard line. Tucker was set up for a 24-yard attempt, and the kick was good to win the game.
Lamar Jackson finished with 26 completions out of 42 attempts for 348 yards and four touchdowns. Zay Flowers finished with 7 receptions for 116 yards.
Derrick Henry finished with 15 carries for 92 yards and a touchdown. Not only did he reach the 100th career touchdown milestone, but he became the first running back in seven years to have 10,000 career rushing yards.
Joe Burrow finished with 30 completions out of 39 attempts for 392 yards and five touchdowns. Ja’Marr Chase finished with 10 receptions for 193 yards and two touchdowns. Tee Higgins finished with nine receptions for 83 yards and two touchdowns.
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