BALTIMORE — The Baltimore Ravens squandered a dominant first half on Sunday, as the Cincinnati Bengals rallied for a 35-13 divisional victory.
Baltimore controlled the first half, jumping out to a 13-0 advantage with an efficient offense and a stifling defense. The momentum didn’t last, as the Bengals outscored the Ravens 35-0 in the second half to secure a blowout win.
But the afternoon began auspiciously for the Ravens, who started backup quarterback Tyler Huntley for the third consecutive game. Starting quarterback Lamar Jackson remains sidelined with an ankle sprain.
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Wide receiver Zay Flowers scored on Baltimore’s opening possession with a 48-yard catch-and-run, weaving in and out of Cincinnati’s secondary. The play was called as a modest screen on third down; a few yards could’ve snuck them into field goal range.
Instead, Flowers found paydirt. He reached speeds exceeding 20 mph on the play, one of the fastest ball carriers in the league on the day.
Baltimore’s offense struggled to find chunk plays outside of Flowers, though.
Running back Derrick Henry managed just 45 yards on 17 carries. He failed to record a carry longer than nine yards.
Huntley lacked the explosiveness that Jackson brings to the offense. But the backup was efficient to start the game. The Ravens converted eight of their first t10 third downs with Huntley under center.
A 17-play Baltimore drive that ate 11 total minutes of clock between the first and second quarters stayed alive thanks to a 20-yard catch by Flowers to convert a third-and-13.
Baltimore’s monstrous first-half possession stalled in Cincinnati territory, though. A fourth-down attempt died before it could begin due to a false start by tight end Matt Hibner.
The Ravens settled for a 34-yard field goal and a 10-0 lead.
Another behemoth drive chewed up six of the final seven minutes in the second quarter. But again, Baltimore settled for a short field goal to cap the 13-play drive and enter halftime with a 13-0 advantage.
Cincinnati’s offense was flat to start the game. They punted on each of their first three drives before watching the clock expire at the end of the first half.
But the Bengals came out of the locker room swinging. They managed just 59 yards of net offense in the first half. After receiving the second-half kickoff, Cincinnati strung together a 66-yard drive. Quarterback Joe Burrow ended it with an exclamation point, tossing a touchdown to tight end Mike Gesicki in the corner of the end zone.
The Ravens responded with their first three-and-out of the game on offense.
The Bengals capitalized. Star receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins exploited the holes in Baltimore’s secondary, leading to a 13-yard touchdown for Higgins.
Cincinnati needed less than 11 minutes in the third quarter to erase Baltimore’s dominant first half.
The Ravens kept stumbling through the second half. Flowers caught six passes for 120 yards in the first two quarters. He managed just two receptions for 17 yards in the second half.
A 10-play drive took the Ravens deep into Bengals territory, though the offense once again stalled in the red zone. Instead of settling for another field goal, coach Jesse Minter took a gamble. It didn’t pay off.
Huntley’s fourth-down pass attempt fell incomplete on the first play of the fourth quarter, turning the ball over on downs.
The Bengals began hunting for a killing blow. Higgins broke free downfield for a 44-yard gain to place Cincinnati in scoring territory. Running back Samaje Perine scored on a one-yard run three plays later.
Cincinnati, which trailed by two scores at halftime, held a 21-13 lead with 11 minutes remaining. The game only grew uglier.
Baltimore responded with another short-lived drive and another punt, its third of the game.
The Bengals offense had found its stride. Chase opened Cincinnati’s next drive with a 33-yard catch-and-run.
Higgins high-pointed the next pass 43 yards down the field.
In those two plays, the Bengals managed more yardage than the Ravens could accumulate in their first three second-half possessions.
Chase caught his first touchdown — a two-yarder from Burrow — to extend the Bengals’ lead to 28-13.
The Ravens couldn’t stop the bleeding. Baltimore’s next drive lasted just one play. Linebacker Barrett Carter tipped a Huntley pass into the arms of Demetrius Knight, who returned the interception to Baltimore’s 24-yard line.
Burrow added his fourth touchdown of the day on the following drive, causing floods of Ravens fans to concede defeat and head to the exits with six minutes remaining.
Burrow completed 22 of 30 pass attempts in the win, stacking 292 yards and four touchdowns after an inert first half.
The 4-3 Ravens head to Buffalo next weekend to face the 5-1 Bills on Nov. 1. The Bengals (4-2) host the Tennessee Titans next Sunday. Both teams trail the 5-2 Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC North, who defeated the New Orleans Saints in the NFL’s first-ever Paris game on Sunday morning.
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