Joe Burrow had an outstanding game, and the Cincinnati Bengals had a 10-point lead three times in the second half. However, that wasn’t enough to win.
The defense struggled to stop Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens, leading to a surprising 41-38 loss in overtime.
“We’re 1-4, so obviously something has to change,” Burrow said. “We’re not a championship-level team right now. I’d like to think we’ll come back and improve throughout the season to get to that point, but right now, we are not.”
Burrow threw for 392 yards and set a career record with five touchdowns, including two to Ja’Marr Chase, who had 12 catches for 193 yards.
“Putting up 30 points is something that we want to do on a regular basis,” Chase said. “Putting up 30 points and losing isn’t something we want to do.”
In the second quarter, Baltimore was leading 14-9 when Cincinnati’s Sam Hubbard tackled Derrick Henry in the end zone for a safety. On the next drive, Burrow connected with Chase for a 41-yard touchdown, and Chase Brown ran for a 2-point conversion, putting the Bengals ahead 17-14 at halftime.
Cincinnati led in the second half with scores of 24-14, 31-21, and then 38-28 after a 70-yard catch and run by Chase with 8:54 left in the fourth quarter. Each time, Jackson and the Ravens came back to put pressure on the Bengals’ offense.
“My statement (earlier this week) rang true,” Burrow said. “Perfect is what we needed, but that’s not what we did.”
The Bengals managed to limit the Ravens’ strong rushing attack, but Jackson threw for 348 yards and four touchdowns while also running for 55 yards. “We got it rolling on offense eventually, but so did they,” Burrow said.
With five minutes left and the ball at the Bengals’ 6-yard line, Jackson ran back to the 20, knocked Hubbard to the ground, and found Isaiah Likely in the corner of the end zone for a touchdown.
“They’ve got a great quarterback,” Bengals coach Zac Taylor said. “You have to be aggressive. He answered the bell, often. He’s strong. He’s athletic. He’s tough to bring down.”
Burrow made one costly mistake when Marlon Humphrey intercepted a pass intended for Chase with 3:05 remaining, which led to Tucker’s tying field goal at the end of regulation.
“Marlon’s a great player,” Burrow said. “He’s a smart, savvy player. Knows what we’re trying to do in that situation. He played it perfect.”
The Ravens were moving toward a possible winning touchdown in overtime when Jackson fumbled the snap, and Germaine Pratt recovered it at the Ravens’ 37-yard line. However, the Bengals couldn’t take advantage of the opportunity.
Brown ran three times but gained only 3 yards, and Evan McPherson’s 53-yard field goal attempt missed after holder Ryan Rehkow mishandled the snap.
Burrow agreed with the Bengals’ cautious approach. “I’m not going to second-guess that,” Burrow said. “We’re in field goal range. Yes, you want to get yards to make it easier on him. As good as their rush is, you always take a chance at getting sacked in that situation.”
After a quiet afternoon, Henry followed McPherson’s missed kick with a 51-yard run that set up Justin Tucker’s 24-yard game-winning field goal.
Henry had 14 carries for 41 yards and a touchdown before that run, as the Bengals did a good job of containing the Ravens’ rushing attack. What they couldn’t do was slow down Jackson.
