After a rough opening 30 minutes in Baltimore, the Bengals flipped the script in the second half and walked out of M&T Bank Stadium with a 35-13 win over the Ravens.
Cincinnati looked flat on both sides of the ball early, falling behind 13-0 by halftime and producing one of its worst first halves of the season. But once the Bengals settled in, Joe Burrow took over and the offense exploded for five second-half touchdowns.
Burrow was nearly flawless after the break, hitting 16 of 18 throws for 249 yards and four scores. He connected with Mike Gesicki on a 6-yard touchdown, Tee Higgins on a 13-yarder, Ja’Marr Chase on a 2-yard strike and Drew Sample on a 16-yard touchdown. He finished the day 22 of 30 for 292 yards after going 6 of 12 for 43 yards in the first half.
Tee Higgins was the biggest weapon in the passing game, catching six balls for 148 yards and a touchdown. Chase finished with five catches for 62 yards, and his fourth-quarter touchdown helped put the game away for good.
The win pushed Cincinnati to 4-2 overall and 1-1 in the AFC North. Baltimore fell to 4-3 and 0-2 in the division, leaving the Bengals in third place behind the Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers, both 5-2.
The first half had to be especially jarring for Cincinnati given the setup. The Bengals came out of their bye with extra preparation time and a health edge, while Baltimore was missing Lamar Jackson and several starting offensive linemen. Tyler Huntley got the start for the Ravens in Jackson’s place.
Still, Baltimore controlled the early flow in a way that made Cincinnati’s turnaround even more striking. The Ravens converted 8 of 11 third downs in the first half and piled up 258 yards. Meanwhile, the Bengals managed just 59 yards, three first downs and no points before halftime.
Huntley finished with a career-high 298 passing yards, along with one touchdown and one interception, though he was sacked four times. Cincinnati also kept Derrick Henry in check, limiting the Ravens running back to 45 yards on 17 carries.
Backup Joe Flacco, who led Baltimore to a Super Bowl championship, came in at the 4:39 mark of the fourth quarter to finish up at quarterback for Cincinnati.
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