Bengals storm back to beat Ravens 35-13 as Joe Burrow throws four second-half touchdowns

Final: Bengals 35, Ravens 13. The Cincinnati Bengals trailed 13-0 at halftime in Baltimore on Sunday, Oct. 25. Then they scored touchdowns on their first five possessions of the second half. Joe Burrow threw all four of his touchdown passes after the break as Cincinnati picked up its first AFC North win of the season.

The Bengals improved to 4-2. The Ravens fell to 4-3 and lost a second straight division game without quarterback Lamar Jackson.

A game of two halves

Baltimore controlled the first half. The Ravens held the ball for 22:20 and outgained Cincinnati 258-59, according to The Associated Press. Still, they led only 13-0 after settling for field goals. Backup quarterback Tyler Huntley threw for 215 yards in the first half, 120 of them to Zay Flowers. Flowers opened the scoring with a 48-yard catch-and-run.

After halftime everything flipped. The Bengals outgained Baltimore 298-101 in the second half, AP reported.

How Cincinnati scored its 35 straight points:

1. Mike Gesicki, 6-yard TD catch. This capped a 66-yard opening drive. It was Gesicki’s fourth straight game with a touchdown, according to the Bengals.
2. Tee Higgins, 13-yard TD catch. This gave Cincinnati the lead for good.
3. Samaje Perine, 1-yard TD run. This finished an 88-yard drive right after Baltimore failed on fourth-and-2 from the Cincinnati 12.
4. Ja’Marr Chase, 2-yard TD catch.
5. Drew Sample, 16-yard TD catch.

Joe Burrow and Tee Higgins

Burrow finished 22 of 30 for 292 yards and four touchdowns. He was 16 of 18 for 249 yards in the second half, the Bengals said. The team said his four second-half touchdown passes tied his career best for a single half. Burrow also had four touchdown passes in his previous game, at Miami, and now has 15 this season.

Higgins caught all six of his passes in the second half and finished with 148 yards and a touchdown. According to the team, the game pushed him past 6,000 career receiving yards. Chase added five catches for 62 yards.

“We know who we are. We know who we have to be,” Burrow said, according to the Bengals.

Zac Taylor on the halftime turnaround

“Just took a deep breath, kept their composure, led,” Bengals coach Zac Taylor said, as reported by AP. “And went out there and put together as good of a second-half performance as I’ve ever seen.”

The Bengals said they became the 10th team in NFL history to be shut out in the first half and then score 35 or more points in the second.

Cincinnati’s defense shuts the door

The Bengals had four sacks and didn’t allow a point after halftime. Boye Mafe had two sacks, rookie Cashius Howell got his first career sack and Dexter Lawrence added another. Linebacker Demetrius Knight Jr. intercepted Huntley in the fourth quarter.

Late in the game, former Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco came in for Burrow to finish it off.

Trouble for Baltimore

Jackson missed a third straight game with an ankle injury, and the Ravens are 1-2 without him, AP reported. It was the second week in a row Baltimore blew a double-digit second-half lead. According to Sportradar, as cited by AP, the Ravens are the first team in 76 years to lead by at least 13 at halftime and lose by at least 20.

“Right now, we’re too much of a momentum team,” Ravens coach Jesse Minter said.

Trey Hendrickson, who went from Cincinnati to Baltimore in free agency, was credited with two quarterback hits and no sacks.

Injuries and next games

• Bengals: S Kyle Dugger (quadriceps) and TE Erick All Jr. (knee) were hurt.
• Ravens: Rookie G Vega Ioane (knee) left in the first half.

Next Sunday, the Bengals host Tennessee and the Ravens visit Buffalo.

FAQ