Joe Burrow’s return to the Cincinnati Bengals couldn’t have gone any better, as he helped lead his team to a win over the Baltimore Ravens on Thanksgiving night, 32-14, to snap a four-game losing streak.
The Bengals moved to 4-8 on the season, while the Ravens, winners of five straight games heading into their home game on Thursday night, fell to 6-6 on the year.
Bengals fans have been waiting ever so patiently for their franchise quarterback to return under center, and the wait was well worth it. It took Burrow a bit to get going, but once he found his rhythm with all his receivers, the vintage Bengals’ offense came out in Baltimore.
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It was a field goal affair in the first half, albeit Derrick Henry’s 28-yard touchdown run on the Ravens’ opening drive. Lamar Jackson and the Ravens, who have been criticized for looking sluggish and not too explosive despite the win streak, had issues taking care of the football on the night, resulting in three first-half fumbles.
Jackson’s came on the team’s second drive, as he was sacked near the goal line and the Bengals scooped it up on the two-yard line. The Ravens’ defense, though, picked up the slack, forcing a turnover on downs despite the excellent field position for Burrow and company.
The one that really hurt the Ravens, though, came on a pass to tight end Isaiah Likely, who ran 43 yards and looked like he was going to fight his way into the end zone for a 14-6 lead. But he fumbled the football just before breaking the plane, and it went out of the end zone.
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The result? No points and a touchback for the Bengals to take over, where they would eventually take a 9-7 lead after Evan McPherson made his third field goal on the night.
It appeared a 9-7 lead would be the score at halftime, but on the very first play of the next Ravens drive, Jackson couldn’t keep the ball in his hand after starting his throwing motion, allowing the Bengals to not only recover the fumble but kick a field goal with 10 seconds left in the quarter.
The second half was when the Bengals started to turn it on offensively, and it came on their first drive when Burrow went 10 plays and 61 yards, finding tight end Tanner Hudson for a 14-yard touchdown to start widening the gap on the scoreboard.
Jackson and the Ravens responded, though, as Keaton Mitchell found a seam and broke an 18-yard touchdown to make it a 19-14 game. But the typical AFC North battle between these two rivals means never getting too comfortable, even after a big score.
Andre Iosivas, who was silent in this game at the time, caught a deep pass from Burrow for a 29-yard touchdown that proved to be a crucial one as the Ravens started to press entering the fourth quarter.
The Bengals defense, however, has been statistically the worst in the NFL in terms of yards allowed (415.8 per game) and points (32.7) entering this game. That meant the Ravens certainly weren’t out of it with 15 minutes left.
But again, holding on to the ball was a major issue. Jackson threw an interception at Cincinnati’s eight-yard line on a pass intended for Mark Andrews. Then, they turned the ball over on downs with eight minutes left in the quarter with the score now 29-14.
There was some hope, though, when Bengals running back Samaje Perine fumbled on what should’ve been the game-sealing drive at the Baltimore 12-yard line. But the Ravens returned the favor five plays later, as Zay Flowers fumbled near midfield as the Ravens were trying desperately to drive down the field to make it a one-score game.
McPherson would drill his sixth field goal of the night and cap a much-needed victory for this Bengals squad.
In Burrow’s return, he was 24-for-46 for 261 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions, while Chase had 110 yards on seven catches. Chase Brown added 78 yards on the ground while catching seven passes for 35 yards.
For the Ravens, Jackson was just 17-of-32 for 246 yards with no touchdowns and one interception. He also had six rushes for 27 yards. Henry finished with 60 yards on the ground, while Likely led the way through the air with 95 yards on five grabs.
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