It was a heavyweight fight between two of the NFL’s highest-paid quarterbacks. One delivered a knockout blow, while the other was simply knocked out.
On a weird and raucous night filled with injuries, penalties and a deflected pass that turned into a touchdown with a somersault, Lamar Jackson completed 16 of 26 passes for 264 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Ravens to a 34-20 statement victory over their AFC North rival Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday at M&T Bank Stadium.
Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, meanwhile, fell on his wrist, injuring it in the second quarter, and never returned. Cincinnati coach Zac Taylor said he believes Burrow suffered a sprained wrist, though losing the game might sting even worse.
The victory keeps the Ravens (8-3) atop the division, while the Bengals (5-5) dropped 2 1/2 games back with seven to go after Baltimore’s season sweep.
It was also sweet revenge for the Ravens, with Cincinnati having ended Baltimore’s season last year during the wild-card round of the playoffs. Jackson was injured and did not play in that game.
This time it was Burrow who was mostly helpless, and now the Bengals’ season could hang in the balance with a steep hill to climb even if he doesn’t miss any time.
[ Mike Preston’s report card: Position-by-position grades for Ravens’ 34-20 win over the Bengals ]
The NFL’s highest-paid quarterback and the 2020 No. 1 overall pick, Burrow connected with running back Joe Mixon on a 4-yard touchdown pass midway through the second quarter to cap an impressive 12-play, 82-yard drive. The score swung momentum to the Bengals, giving them a 10-7 lead, but it wouldn’t last, and neither would their quarterback as he injured his wrist on the play.
He wasn’t the only one to leave the game early.
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Ravens tight end Mark Andrews also suffered what is believed to be a season-ending ankle injury on the Ravens’ opening scoring drive. As he hauled in a short pass from Jackson and turned toward the end zone, Logan Wilson delivered a controversial hip-drop tackle at the Bengals’ 4-yard line.
Andrews went down in anguish, Jackson slammed his helmet to the ground, seemingly knowing then the severity of the injury, and the tight end left the game and didn’t return.
“He’s going to be missed as a leader,” said Harbaugh, who added that Andrews has a form of a high ankle sprain that is also believed to be more than just a sprain. “He’s a fiery, emotional guy. He’s an energy-bringer every single day.”
The same could be said of Jackson on Thursday.
The Ravens’ quarterback had an injury scare of his own after going down on the sideline in the second quarter as he scrambled away from pressure and got dragged to the turf. But it was just a momentary one.
Eventually, Jackson settled in and found his groove, too, at least well enough.
On the Ravens’ next possession following Burrow’s injury, Jackson hit wide receiver Zay Flowers on a short pass and the rookie broke free down the left sideline for a 68-yard touchdown. Except receiver Odell Beckham Jr. was flagged for holding on the play and the ball came back to the Ravens’ 32-yard line.
It didn’t matter.
Five plays later on third-and-6 from the Bengals’ 37, Nelson Agholor snatched a short pass over the middle that was tipped by a Bengals linebacker and scampered all the way to the end zone. One possession later, Jackson connected with wideout Rashod Bateman for a 10-yard score to give the Ravens a 21-10 lead at the half.
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“[It was] very impressive,” Harbaugh said of Jackson’s performance. “The ankle over there in the sideline where that deal happened, to bounce back and play the way he did and still have some mobility with hanging there to make those throws, it’s impressive.”
Less so were the Bengals, especially in the second half.
Still, even without Burrow, Cincinnati managed to chip away, going 67 yards in 10 plays, with Evan McPherson connecting on a 26-yard field goal to cut the deficit to 21-13 early in the third quarter.
[ WR Zay Flowers sets record for most catches by a Ravens rookie ]
But that was as close as they’d get the rest of the night.
Justin Tucker added two field goals and running back Gus Edwards (12 carries for 62 yards) scored his second touchdown of the night as the Ravens pulled away.
With Burrow finished, it was up to backup Jake Browning to try to erase another double-digit deficit against Baltimore the way the Browns did Sunday. He never had a chance, though.
Undrafted out of Washington in 2019, the 27-year-old veteran completed just 8 of 14 passes for 68 yards and a touchdown to Ja’Marr Chase inside the final two minutes with the game out of reach. And with the Bengals unable to move the ball through the air, the Ravens could key in on Mixon, who had a strong first half with 48 rushing yards and 29 receiving. He finished with 69 yards on 16 carries.
“We knew we let one slip [last week] and we weren’t gonna let that happen again,” said Ravens outside linebacker Odafe Oweh, who had one of five Ravens’ sacks. “We wanted to make a statement, not just win.
“That was a big-a-- win.”
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So was Beckham’s performance. He finished with four catches for 116 yards, though he left the game late in the fourth quarter with what looked to be a shoulder injury after a hard tackle.
“It’s been a long time coming,” said Beckham, who added that his shoulder was OK. “Been a lot of hard work.
“Early on in the season, I was hurting. I couldn’t be myself. I didn’t have the explosion. I couldn’t move the way that I wanted to and I don’t think people really knew what I was dealing with.”
But now the Ravens will have to learn to deal with not having one of their top pass catchers in Andrews. Including Thursday, he had 45 catches for 544 yards and six touchdowns in 10 games.
“It’s just tough,” Beckham said of Andrews likely being out for the season. “It’s the hardest part of this game.
“It’s very unfortunate. It’s a big hit for this team. Mark has been an integral part of this team since him and Lamar have been here.”
Said Jackson, who was drafted the same year as Andrews in 2018: “That’s very tough. We’re bread and butter, peanut butter and jelly, whatever you want to call it. That’s my boy, receiver 1 sometimes. … That’s tough.”
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Week 12
Ravens at Chargers
Sunday, Nov. 26, 8:20 p.m.
TV: NBC
Radio: 97.9 FM, 101.5 FM, 1090 AM
Line: Ravens by 3 1/2
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