While the Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals arguably played the game of the year in their first meeting, Thursday night’s division-rival rematch lived up to the billing.
Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson rallied his team with 1:49 left in the game on a 5-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Rashod Bateman for a 35–28 lead. Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow answered with a 5-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase with 38 seconds left, but a failed two-point conversion resulted in a 35–34 defeat in Baltimore.
Bengals head coach Zac Taylor defended the decision because Baltimore could have kicked a field goal with enough time left. Ravens kicker Justin Tucker notably forced overtime with a field goal and won it with a field goal in the extra period last time.
Similar to their first quarterback duel, Burrow and Jackson piled on more than 700 yards passing and eight touchdowns combined. This time around, Burrow went 34-56 for 427 yards and four touchdowns while Jackson went 25-33 for 290 yards and four touchdowns.
Jackson and company similarly found a way to win in an explosive first meeting back on Oct. 6 when the Ravens won 41–38 in overtime. He needed two drives in regulation to tie things up that time around.
Burrow and Jackson combined for 740 yards passing and nine touchdowns in that game. For a third showdown to occur, the two AFC North rivals would have to meet in the playoffs, but the Bengals saw postseason chances take a hit on Thursday amid a 4–6 record.
“It’s frustrating because of the work we put in,” Taylor said. “We sit up here every week and pour our hearts and souls into this thing. We’ve got a good football team. Our record doesn’t yet show that.
“There’s still time,” he added. “This team is going to hang in there. We are going to be there at the end. This is a tough one because you are right there, and it felt like [you] kind of let that one slip away. But at the same time, I still believe in these guys. They believe in each other. There’s a lot of football left to play.”
A big part of that belief is Burrow, who has been performing at a high level all season despite the losing record. Burrow had 2,672 yards passing and 24 touchdowns versus four picks this season. Jackson knows that well.
“I just know [Joe] is a great quarterback over there,” Jackson said. “There are a lot of great quarterbacks in the league, not just us two. And it’s a divisional game—I just know it’s going to be a dogfight regardless, because he’s got [that] dawg in him.”
Baltimore has a dogfight for the division ahead at 7–3 with the Pittsburgh Steelers in front amid a 6–2 record. The two division rivals meet again on Dec. 21, but as Ravens head coach John Harbaugh acknowledged, there’s a lot of work ahead despite a big win over the Bengals.
