Ravens beat Bengals as Joe Burrow’s exit makes big impact

BALTIMORE – The Baltimore Ravens hosted the Cincinnati Bengals on “Thursday Night Football” in a key AFC North battle.

Unfortunately, the Ravens lost tight end Mark Andrews to an ankle injury on their first practice and the Bengals lost quarterback Joe Burrow to a wrist injury after a pass touchdown in the second quarter. Neither came back.

Baltimore scored three touchdowns in the first half and pulled away in the second half for a 34-20 victory. The Bengals fall to 5-5 and remain last in the AFC North. The Ravens are atop the division with an 8-3 record.

Baltimore Ravens

Dealing with a left ankle injury and without two Pro Bowl teammates on offense, Jackson threw for 264 yards and two touchdowns. At 8-3, the Ravens will now hold a half-game lead in the winner of Sunday’s game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns, who are both 6-3.

It was a night of perseverance for Jackson, who injured his ankle late in the first quarter and limped significantly at times. Baltimore needed Jackson because the offense was without left tackle Ronnie Stanley, who was inactive with a knee injury, and without tight end Mark Andrews, who was ruled out after injuring his ankle. left during the opening series.

This was a bounce back game for the Ravens. After a fourth-quarter collapse against the Browns on Sunday, Baltimore managed to put away the Bengals for its first season sweep against Cincinnati since 2020.

Promising trend: Baltimore continues to play its best against the best. The Ravens improved to 4-1 this season against teams that entered the game with a winning record, which is a good sign for them moving forward. Entering Week 11, Baltimore had the toughest remaining schedule, according to ESPN Analytics. The Ravens’ remaining six games will be against teams that are 31-23 (.574) overall, including December matchups with current division leaders Jacksonville, San Francisco and Miami.

Mind-blowing statistic: How improbable was wide receiver Nelson Agholor’s 37-yard touchdown run late in the first half? The TD probability was 3.7%, according to NFL Next Gen Stats. Agholor, surprised, saw a deflected pass by Bengals linebacker Germaine Pratt land in his hands at the 29-yard line and outran the Cincinnati defense the rest of the way. He capped his third touchdown of the season with a forward flip into the end zone.

Silver lining: In a season filled with injuries, the Ravens suffered perhaps the biggest when Pro Bowl tight end Mark Andrews was ruled out after the first practice with a potentially game-ending ankle injury. the season. Without Andrews, Jackson relied more on his outside targets. In the first half, Jackson threw touchdown passes to wide receivers Nelson Agholor and Rashod Bateman. It was the first time he produced multiple touchdown passes to wide receivers since Week 2 of last season. Jackson had a career-high 206 passing yards targeting wide receivers.

Next game: at Los Angeles Chargers (8:15 p.m. ET, Sunday, November 26)

Cincinnati Bengals

Heading into Thursday night’s game at M&T Bank Stadium, the outcome was going to be the biggest factor impacting Cincinnati’s chances of winning the AFC North. But when Burrow doubled over in the second quarter with a right wrist injury, things immediately changed.

With Burrow out of the game, winning the division is no longer the question for the Bengals. It’s just about making the playoffs for the third straight season.

As of 2021, Cincinnati has confidence in its ability to be a playoff contender as long as Burrow is on the field. When he jogged in the second quarter after not being able to throw the ball down the sideline, it immediately threw the rest of the season into uncertainty.

Backup Jake Browning, who won the job in training camp, will be tasked with leading the charge if Burrow is out for an extended period of time. Since 2020, the Bengals are 2-5 while someone other than Burrow is the starting quarterback. With him, Cincinnati is 29-21-1. For the Bengals to make the playoffs, they’ll have to do something they haven’t done since Burrow was drafted with the first overall pick in 2020: succeed without him.

Describe the game in two words: Punishing night. In one game the Bengals needed to win to keep their hopes of winning the AFC North alive, which became a secondary storyline after Burrow left the game and CB Cam Taylor-Britt was also out with a quadriceps injury .

Buy exceptional performance: Tight end Tanner Hudson has emerged as the team’s most effective receiving option at the position. In his first four games of the season, he had 14 catches for 126 yards. When Burrow was in the game, he leaned on Hudson for a big 21-yard run on third down. This is the type of play and confidence that shows Hudson deserves a bigger role moving forward.

Disturbing trend: Cincinnati entered the game 31st in defensive yards allowed per play. The Bengals continued to give up big chunks against Baltimore. In the first half alone, the Ravens had six plays of 14 yards or more, including a 37-yard touchdown run by Agholor after a missed tackle. This will remain a source of frustration for defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo.

Next game: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers (1 p.m. ET, Sunday, November 26)