Lamar Jackson threw for three fourth-quarter touchdowns, and the Baltimore Ravens stopped Cincinnati on a 2-point conversion with 38 seconds remaining to hold off the Bengals 35-34 on Thursday night.
The Ravens (7-3) rallied from a 21-7 third-quarter deficit, overcoming a huge game from Cincinnati receiver Ja’Marr Chase. He finished with 11 catches for 264 yards and three touchdowns, including a 5-yarder in the final minute to bring the Bengals (4-6) within one. Cincinnati – which lost to Baltimore in overtime last month – decided to go for 2 and the lead, and Joe Burrow’s pass for Tanner Hudson sailed high.
Cincinnati had a chance to take control when it was up 14 with the ball in the third, but a fumble by Chase Brown gave the Ravens a short field, and a nifty scramble along the sideline by Jackson set up Derrick Henry’s 1-yard touchdown run.
In the fourth, Tylan Wallace turned a short pass into an 84-yard touchdown, barely staying inbounds as a couple of Cincinnati defenders failed to stop him. Justin Tucker missed the extra point, but the Ravens were within one.
Cincinnati drove into Baltimore territory, but on both third-and-2 and fourth-and-2, Burrow threw incomplete deep. Jackson gave the Ravens the lead with an 18-yard touchdown pass to Mark Andrews, and then the two-time MVP-winning quarterback ran himself for a 2-point conversion.
Chase beat Baltimore deep for a 70-yard touchdown that tied the game at 28 with 5:37 to play, but the Ravens answered with Jackson’s 5-yard scoring toss to Rashod Bateman with 1:49 remaining to go ahead 35-28.
Baltimore had 231 of its 389 total yards in the fourth quarter.
Jackson threw for 290 yards and four touchdowns. Burrow threw for 428 yards and four TDs.
The Ravens lost All-Pro safety Kyle Hamilton to an ankle injury late in the first half.
Cincinnati scored on a 1-yard touchdown run by Brown on the game’s first drive. The Ravens thought they’d stopped the Bengals on fourth down near the goal-line, but a holding call on cornerback Brandon Stephens gave Cincinnati a new set of downs.
Baltimore also burned two timeouts on that first drive, one on an unsuccessful challenge.
Jackson threw a 6-yard scoring pass to Nelson Agholor in the second, but the Bengals took the lead on a 3-yard touchdown pass from Burrow to Tanner Hudson shortly after Hamilton’s injury.
The Ravens got back to around midfield at the end of the half, but by then they were out of timeouts and the clock ran out on them.
Burrow threw a 67-yard touchdown pass to Chase early in the third.
Up next
Bengals: Visit the Los Angeles Chargers on Nov. 17.
Ravens: Visit the Pittsburgh Steelers on Nov. 17.