Ravens Edge Bengals In Thursday Night Thriller

The NFL’s top offense stayed hot Thursday night when the Baltimore Ravens took down the Cincinnati Bengals 35-34.

In a must-win game for both teams, Baltimore (7-3) came back from a 14-point deficit in the second half to down its division rival.

FINAL: @Ravens win a thriller on TNF! pic.twitter.com/sWqB1FCLUw

— NFL (@NFL) November 8, 2024

Cincinnati (4-6) was also excellent offensively and even scored the game’s final touchdown. But coach Zac Taylor went for the win and the team’s two-point conversion attempt failed with just 0:38 left in the game, allowing Baltimore to run the clock down to zero.

Baltimore has now won seven of its last eight games following an 0-2 start to the season.

QB School: Class is in Session

It was a dominant display from both quarterbacks in the game.

Lamar Jackson has been the best player in the NFL this season and it was more of the same against a porous Cincinnati defense.

The two-time league MVP shredded the Bengals through the air and on the ground. Jackson racked up 323 total yards and tossed four touchdown passes.

In an electrifying performance, Jackson completed 25 of 33 passes and gave Cincy tons of trouble with his ability to extend plays.

The biggest example of that was an absurd third-quarter run. Bobbing and weaving like a prime Muhammad Ali, Jackson escaped pressure and tip-toed down the sideline for an 11-yard gain, setting up a 1-yard Derrick Henry rushing touchdown.

His counterpart, Bengals QB Joe Burrow, also left the defense grasping at straws.

The Baltimore defensive line put pressure on Burrow, but his movement in the pocket stymied them on several occasions.

With Cincy’s run game rendered ineffective, Burrow put the Bengals on his back. His aerial display produced an incredible 428 yards and four touchdowns.

Can’t Guard Ja’Marr

A lot of the credit for Burrow’s big night can be attributed to wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase.

The 24-year-old was downright unguardable while tearing up the Ravens secondary on short, intermediate and deep routes.

https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1854748836603855178

In fact, each of Chase’s three scores came on different parts of the route tree.

First, he took a dig route 67 yards to the house with the acceleration of a Bugatti. Next, Chase exploited a coverage bust for a 70-yard score on a go route. Finally, he ran an out and leaped over two defenders in the end zone for a 5-yard touchdown, setting up the game-deciding two-point conversion attempt..

The Ravens may have won the game, but Chase certainly won his matchup against three-time Pro Bowl cornerback Marlon Humphrey.

Contributions From Unexpected Places

The Ravens’ stars obviously showed out, but the difference in the game was made by their depth at the wide receiver position.

In particular, Tylan Wallace and Rashod Bateman made huge impacts down the stretch.

Wallace caught all three of his targets for 115 yards and a score. His 84-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter brought the Ravens within one point of Cincinnati following a missed extra point.

https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1854731065803366890

And Bateman also made one of the biggest plays of the night, scoring the Ravens’ winning touchdown on a floated jump pass from Jackson. He led the Ravens with 8 targets, catching six of them for 54 yards.

The Ravens have gained more yards this season than any other NFL team and the contributions of role players like Wallace and Bateman are a big reason why.

Up Next

Baltimore will have another divisional clash in their next game on Nov. 17, when they hit the road to take on the Pittsburgh Steelers. That same day, the Bengals will travel to California for a Sunday Night Football matchup with the Los Angeles Chargers.