After being shut out in the first half, the Bengals exploded for 35 points in the second to knock off the Ravens 35-13, sending them to their second consecutive AFC North loss.
Once again, the Ravens did not score in the second half and have been outscored 48-0 in the past two games. They got dominated on both sides of the ball in the second half, allowing five straight touchdown drives while only gaining less than 100 yards on offense.
Joe Burrow ended up with 292 yards and four touchdowns, and Bengals receiver Tee Higgins dominated them with six catches for 148 yards. It was an ugly game for the Ravens’ rushing game, which was limited to less than 100 yards. Derrick Henry was shut down for the second game in a row with only 45 yards on 17 carries. They had one explosive play in the first quarter when Zay Flowers scored a 64-yard touchdown on a screen pass, but that was it.
The defense played well in the first half but could not stop the Bengals at all in the second. Burrow was under pressure early on, and the Ravens defense limited them to only four drives in the first. Then in the second half, they could not stop Burrow. He was 16-18 for 250 yards and had all four of his touchdowns. Ja’Marr Chase didn’t dominate the Ravens like he usually does and finished with just five catches for 62 yards but added a touchdown late.
Ravens’ backup quarterback Tyler Huntley did not stand up well to the pressure and was sacked four times. He also threw an interception that sealed the win for the Bengals after a tipped ball led to the Ravens’ only turnover. They were unable to force the Bengals into a turnover and only sacked Burrow once in the first half. Burrow was able to find his receivers in the second half, who seemed to be open on many catches. The Ravens also had several missed tackles that led to big plays as well.
The offense needed to convert their early drives into touchdowns but ended up with two field goals and a turnover on downs after scoring a touchdown in the first quarter. The Bengals came out firing in the second half, and the Ravens had no answer on offense, which caused the defense to be on the field for most of the half. This would be a recipe for disaster as Burrow could not be stopped.
This game showed that the Ravens will need Lamar Jackson to return as soon as possible if they hope to bounce back from two consecutive AFC North losses. They are now in last place in the division after every other team won on Sunday.
The toughest part of the Ravens’ schedule continues as they take on two first-place teams in the same week with the Buffalo Bills and Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday and Thursday night, respectively. Hopefully they will see the return of Jackson from injury in what could be the two most important games of the season.
READ MORE:Ravens’ 2nd half collapse leads to another divisional loss to the Bengals 35-13
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