BALTIMORE — Lamar Jackson’s dominance of the Cincinnati Bengals continued Thursday night, as did his flair for the dramatic.
Jackson’s 5-yard touchdown pass to receiver Rashod Bateman with 1:49 left in the game led the Baltimore Ravens to a 35-34 victory and improved his career record to 10-1 against the Bengals.
The outcome came down to the final minute when the Ravens needed their defense to force an incomplete pass from Joe Burrow on a 2-point conversion with 38 seconds left to preserve Jackson’s 12th career-winning drive. There will be debate as to whether a penalty should have been called on the 2-point attempt.
Jackson has had two game-winning drives this season, and both were against the Bengals. He helped Baltimore win 41-38 in overtime at Cincinnati last month.
The reigning NFL MVP needed to shake off his worst start to the season. After being held to 71 yards in the first half, Jackson completed 15 of 19 passes for 219 yards and three touchdowns.
The Ravens scored 28 points in the second half, the most of any team in a second half this season.
The Ravens (7-3), who have swept Cincinnati in consecutive seasons, are now virtually tied for first place in the AFC North with the Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2).
QB Breakdown: Jackson was dominant in the fourth quarter, completing 11 of 13 passes for 197 yards and three touchdowns. It was the second-most passing yards in a fourth quarter this season. Jordan Love had 202 in Week 4 against the Vikings. With two on Thursday, Jackson has nine touchdown passes from outside the pocket, four more than any other quarterback this season. Burrow is second with five.
Surprising statistic: Wide receiver Tylan Wallace chose an opportune moment to record the first touchdown catch of his career. With Baltimore trailing 21-14 in the fourth quarter, Wallace took a short pass from Jackson and turned it into an 84-yard touchdown while somehow staying in bounds as he ran down the left sideline. Wallace gained 78 yards after the catch over expected, which is YACOE’s second-most on a catch since 2018, according to NFL Next Gen Stats.
Worrying trend: The Ravens’ league-worst pass defense looked like this in the second half, when Baltimore was without All-Pro safety Kyle Hamilton (ankle). The Ravens allowed touchdown passes of 67 and 70 yards to wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase. For the season, Baltimore has allowed 28 completions of 25 or more yards, which is the most in the league.
Most amazing performance:Justin Tucker. The seven-time Pro Bowl kicker hit an extra point wide left that would have tied the game at 21 in the fourth quarter. Tucker had scored 75 extra points in a row before that miss. He had some struggles early in the season, but entered Thursday having made 10 of his previous 11 field goals.
Next match: at Steelers (1 p.m. ET, Nov. 17)
Surprising Statistic: Chase had his sixth career game of at least 150 receiving yards and a touchdown. That ties Lance Alworth for the third most players under the age of 25 in league history, according to NFL Research. Only Randy Moss and Justin Jefferson had more, each with seven. Chase finished with 11 receptions for 264 yards and three touchdowns.
Fundamental game: Cincinnati was in control of the game until Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey stripped Bengals running back Chase Brown for a fumble that Baltimore recovered with 7:05 left in the third. That sparked a 21-point run that allowed the Ravens to not only get back into the game but also take the lead. This compounded the Bengals’ running game woes on a night when they struggled to do much.
Quarterback Breakdown. Burrow performed well. Despite facing pressure all night and without wide receiver Tee Higgins, Burrow extended plays and consistently found Ja’Marr Chase. His 70-yard touchdown pass to Chase in the fourth quarter immediately halted Baltimore’s momentum after the Ravens scored 21 straight points to take the lead. It was Burrow’s ninth career game with at least 350 passing yards and three passing touchdowns (he finished with 428 and four), extending his own lead to the most in Bengals history. It may not have been a coincidence that Burrow did so after Hamilton suffered an ankle injury. Burrow was 15 of 21 for 243 yards and three touchdowns after Hamilton left the game with 1:17 left in the second quarter.
Next match: at Chargers (8:20 p.m. ET, Nov. 17)
