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Ben Baby, ESPN writer
BALTIMORE — It looked like Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase had it done Thursday night against the Baltimore Ravens.
Throughout the primetime matchup against their AFC North rivals, Cincinnati’s star quarterback and wide receiver connected for plays when the Bengals needed them most, including a late touchdown that put Cincinnati in position to win the game.
But the Bengals were one play short in a 35-34 loss to the Ravens. A failed 2-point conversion with 38 seconds left squandered outstanding performances from both players.
Burrow finished with 428 yards and four touchdowns on 34-of-56 passing. Chase had one of the best performances of his career: 11 receptions, three touchdowns and 264 receiving yards. The efforts, however, were not enough to prevent the Bengals from losing their second and final regular-season matchup against the Ravens this season.
“They’re the best duo in the league right now and they prove it every week,” Bengals cornerback Mike Hilton said. “We just feel like we have to do our part, and things could be very different. But it just hasn’t gone our way this season.”
The Bengals (4-6) led 21-7 midway through the third quarter when Baltimore (7-3) created a big break to get back into the game. Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey ripped the ball out of the hands of Bengals running back Chase Brown. The Ravens got the ball back and then went on a 21-0 run to take a lead in the fourth quarter.
But Burrow and Chase did almost everything they could to keep the Bengals in contention. One play after the Ravens took the lead, Burrow immediately responded with a 70-yard touchdown pass to Chase that tied the score at 28.
When the Ravens regained the lead with 1:49 left and Cincinnati needed a touchdown, Burrow leaned on Chase. At one point, Chase tied his career high of 266 receiving yards that was set in 2021. However, a defensive penalty that Cincinnati accepted negated the play.
A couple plays later, Burrow found Chase for a 5-yard touchdown pass in the final minute. Cincinnati’s two-point attempt for the potential game-winning points failed when a Burrow pass to tight end Tanner Hudson sailed high. Burrow had no qualms about making the decision to do so.
“We knew what situation we were in,” Burrow said.
As for Burrow and Chase, who have played together for six of the last seven seasons dating back to their college days at LSU, they put together one of their best performances together. Chase deferred to reporters when asked if Thursday night was at the top of that list.
Bengals coach Zac Taylor said Burrow and Chase had “unbelievable” performances.
“I thought Ja’Marr took a big step forward,” Taylor said. “Any time we could find ways to get him the ball, I thought Joe did a great job of that. And Ja’Marr finished a lot of those plays for us. I thought they played great.”
But what happened Thursday at M&T Bank Stadium was a microcosm of the season.
Entering Week 10, Burrow and Chase had been enjoying two of the best seasons of their respective careers. Burrow was second in Total QBR, behind only Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson, who finished the game with 290 passing yards and four touchdowns. Chase was second in the league in receiving yards behind Minnesota’s Justin Jefferson, his former teammate at LSU.
So the fact that the Bengals are still below the .500 mark after 10 games was baffling to Chase.
“That’s crazy to say,” Chase said. “Never in a million years would I expect me to play that well and him to play that well and we still have a record like this.”
On top of that, Cincinnati also had the NFL’s sack leader, defensive end Trey Hendrickson, arriving Thursday night. That compounded the frustration.
“If you look at how we’re playing and you look at Trey Hendrickson, how he’s playing, yeah, it’s a tough pill to swallow,” Burrow said after the game. “But we’ve had our opportunities.
“Obviously, it’s tough when you feel like you’re playing well enough to win and you’re not. But there’s always more to do.”
