Bengals Shred Ravens

The Bengals delivered a stirring statement to the NFL Sunday signed off by its top 10 defense when they blew out the AFC’s best team at home with quarterback Joe Burrow orchestrating a devastating 28 points in a 19-minute span of the second half before a stunned sellout crowd in Baltimore.

Career highs by Burrow (416 yards passing for the sixth biggest day in Bengals history) and rookie wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase (201 yards), allowed the 5-2 Bengals to grab a first-place tie with the shell-shocked Ravens as well the top seed in the AFC playoff chase with a 41-17 victory. The 41 points were the most scored in Zac Taylor’s 39 games as head coach.

Another rousing effort by the defense handed Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson his first loss in six starts against the Bengals. They held him to 15 of 31 passing for 257 yards and harassed him with numerous hits and five sacks.

Burrow was having his greatest day in the NFL with a 27-17 lead as the third quarter turned into the fourth quarter with a scorching 378 yards when he made his only two stumbles. But only after he converted two huge third-downers to wide receiver Tee Higgins (one on a tipped ball) and another wondrous catch for Chase for 27 yards on a leaping back-shoulder catch.

But with the ball at the Ravens 9, Burrow took a sack. And then on third down with 14:51 left in the game, Burrow got heavily rushed and as he was falling backward he tried to throw a jump ball to Chase double teamed in the end zone and Pro Bowl cornerback Marlon Humphrey easily picked it off.

But as they did all day the Bengals defense had the answer. After Trey Hendrickson drew a holding call, they blitzed on fourth-and-seven from the Baltimore 38 and Jackson short-hopped it. It punctuated another brilliant effort where they got a season-high five sacks, tying Jackson’s career high for hitting the deck. Left end Sam Hubbard had a career-high 2.5 sacks and defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi added 1.5.

After completing 25 of 38 passes, Burrow handed it off four straight times and was rewarded with running back Joe Mixon’s 21-yard touchdown run up the gut. It was a classic Mixonian cut-back run as he went from left to right running behind center Trey Hopkins and outran the second level.

Mixon back-up Samaje Perine ran the exact same play on the next series, popping off a 46-yard touchdown run as he cut behind Hopkins and left guard Quinton Spain to make it 41-17 with 6:59 left.

At that point the Ravens benched Jackson and Brandon Allen replaced Burrow after the emerging legend oversaw TDs of 82, 55, 46 and 32 yards. Burrow has now thrown two touchdown passes in all seven games and hit three touchdowns Sunday for back-to-back games.