Lamar Jackson delivered three fourth-quarter touchdowns, and the Baltimore Ravens managed to hold off the Cincinnati Bengals 35-34 on Thursday night after stopping a two-point conversion attempt with just 38 seconds left on the clock.
The Ravens (7-3) staged a remarkable comeback from a 21-7 deficit in the third quarter, overcoming a stellar performance by Cincinnati receiver Ja’Marr Chase. Chase finished the game with 11 receptions for 264 yards and three touchdowns, including a five-yard score in the final minute that brought the Bengals (4-6) within a single point. Cincinnati, which had lost to Baltimore in overtime the previous month, opted to go for a two-point conversion and the lead. However, Joe Burrow’s pass intended for Tanner Hudson sailed high, sealing the Ravens' victory.
Cincinnati had a chance to seize control when they led by 14 points with the ball in the third quarter, but a fumble by Chase Brown handed the Ravens a short field. Jackson’s nifty scramble along the sideline set up Derrick Henry’s one-yard touchdown run. In the fourth quarter, Tylan Wallace turned a short pass into an 84-yard touchdown, narrowly staying inbounds as Cincinnati defenders failed to stop him. Justin Tucker missed the extra point, but the Ravens were within one point.
Cincinnati drove into Baltimore territory, but on both third-and-2 and fourth-and-two, Burrow’s deep passes were incomplete. Jackson then gave the Ravens the lead with an 18-yard touchdown pass to Mark Andrews, followed by a two-point conversion run by Jackson himself. Chase later tied the game at 28 with a 70-yard touchdown catch, but the Ravens responded with Jackson’s 5-yard scoring toss to Rashod Bateman with 1:49 remaining, putting Baltimore ahead 35-28.
Baltimore accumulated 231 of its 389 total yards in the fourth quarter. Jackson finished with 290 passing yards and four touchdowns, while Burrow threw for 428 yards and four TDs. The Ravens suffered a significant blow when All-Pro safety Kyle Hamilton sustained an ankle injury late in the first half.
Cincinnati scored on a one-yard touchdown run by Brown on the game’s opening drive. The Ravens believed they had stopped the Bengals on fourth down near the goal line, but a holding call on cornerback Brandon Stephens awarded Cincinnati a new set of downs. Baltimore also burned two timeouts on that drive, including one on an unsuccessful challenge.
Jackson threw a six-yard scoring pass to Nelson Agholor in the second quarter, but the Bengals regained the lead with a three-yard touchdown pass from Burrow to Tanner Hudson shortly after Hamilton’s injury. The Ravens managed to reach midfield by the end of the half, but they were out of timeouts, and the clock ran out on them. Burrow connected with Chase on a 67-yard touchdown pass early in the third quarter.
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