Baltimore vs. Cincinnati
Two-point Conversion Stop Hands Ravens a Win Over Division-Rival Cincinnati
Cincinnati head coach Zac Taylor decided to bet on Joe Burrow instead of his struggling defense with the game on the line. But it turned out that Baltimore’s defense was up for the challenge.
The Ravens (7-3) stopped a two-point conversion attempt with 38 seconds left to hold off the Bengals 35-34v. After Ja’Marr Chase scored a touchdown on a pass from Burrow, Taylor elected to go for two points and the lead instead of an extra point to likely send the game to overtime.
Lost in the excitement of the deciding play were three fourth-quarter touchdown passes by Lamar Jackson, as the Ravens came back from 14 points down in the third quarter to win for the seventh time in eight games. It was the first time in three years that the Ravens found themselves down by two touchdowns in a game started by the two-time NFL MVP.
“It starts with Lamar, and oftentimes it ends with Lamar,” Baltimore head coach John Harbaugh said. “But in between Lamar and Lamar, there's a lot of great players out there that are surrounding him. I think that's kind of where our offense is at right now.”
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Jackson threw for 290 yards and four touchdowns in the win. Statistically, Burrow overshadowed him with 428 yards and four scores. Chase had a career night, catching 11 balls for 264 yards and three touchdowns. But it led to another frustrating loss in a season full of them so far for Cincy.
“We had our opportunity,” Bengals coach Taylor said. “We got down there, went for two and just didn’t work out for us. This team is going to continue to put us in good positions, and there’s going to be a point in the season where that turns.”
GAME RECAP
The Ravens started slow on offense, not scoring until the 13:04 mark of the second quarter when Jackson connected with Nelson Agholor for a six-yard score to tie the game up at 7 apiece. It stayed that way until shortly before halftime, when Burrow found Tanner Hudson for a 3-yard touchdown, putting Cincinnati up 14-7 at halftime.
The Bengals extended the lead to 21-7 on a Burrow-to-Chase connection for 67 yards. The Ravens then came back for back-to-back scores – the first a Derrick Henry one-yard touchdown run and then Tylan Wallace broke free for an 84-yard touchdown on a pass from Jackson. However, Justin Tucker missed the PAT, so the Bengals held on to a 21-20 lead with 13:30 left.
But the Ravens would get that point back after a Mark Andrews touchdown; Jackson ran in the two-point conversion attempt to put the Ravens on top, 28-21. Chase then topped his 67-yard touchdown with a 70-yard one to tie the game at 28.
Jackson then led a methodical, 11-play drive that ended with a Rashod Bateman catch in the end zone to give the Ravens the lead once again, 35-28, with 1:49 left. That led to Chase’s score and failed two-point conversion attempt to seal the win for Baltimore.
UP NEXT
As it so often has been over the years, first place in the AFC North is on the line when the Ravens head to Pittsburgh to take on the rival Steelers next week. Pittsburgh is 7-2 after logging a come-from-behind 28-27 win at Washington to extend their win streak to four.