The Baltimore Ravens swept the season series against the Cincinnati Bengals last season – and they did it again this year.
Lamar Jackson and the Ravens defeated the Bengals 35-34 on Thursday night. The win came a little over a month after Jackson and company beat the Bengals on the road in overtime in a Week 5 shootout.
The two teams produced another thriller in Week 10. Jackson and the Ravens overcame a 21-7 deficit in the second half and outlasted Ja’Marr Chase and the Bengals.
Jackson is now 10-1 in his career versus the Bengals.
Here are the winners and losers from Thursday night’s AFC North battle:
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Winners
Lamar Jackson
Jackson’s MVP campaign continued versus Cincinnati.
He was marvelous in the second half after being held to only 71 yards in the first two quarters. The two-time MVP engineered four consecutive touchdown drives in the second half and his ability to extend plays with his legs gave the Bengals fits all game.
The dual-threat QB had 290 passing yards and tossed four touchdowns. He also contributed 33 rushing yards with a two-point conversion on the ground.
Jackson did a good job picking the Bengals apart in the second half. Nine different Ravens had receptions.
Joe Burrow
Burrow was superb, albeit in a loss.
The Bengals quarterback was pressured and hit all night, but kept fighting. Burrow went 34-for-56 for 428 yards and four touchdowns. He did everything he could do to win.
However, Burrow was visibly banged up in the game. He’s bound to be sore after the loss.
Ja’Marr Chase
Ja’Marr Chase historically likes playing against the Ravens, and for good reason: The Ravens simply can’t cover him.
Chase torched the Ravens with 11 catches for 264 yards and three touchdowns. He was unstoppable on short, intermediate, and long routes. His speed, route running and strength were problems all night.
Chase might earn AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors despite the loss. He was that good.
The Bengals star wideout has 21 catches, 457 yards and five touchdowns in two games versus the Ravens this year.
Bengals’ run defense
Cincinnati’s run defense contained the No. 1 rushing attack in the NFL.
Derrick Henry had ‘just’ 68 rushing yards and a touchdown in the win. He was limited to 22 yards in the first half.
Bengals DT B.J. Hill, LB Logan Wilson and the front seven never let Henry get going, Henry unable to find any running lanes between the tackles.
The Ravens had 99 rushing yards in the game.
Ravens WR Tylan Wallace
The seldom-used WR came into the contest with two catches on the season. Wallace produced three catches, a career-high 115 receiving yards and his first career touchdown reception on an impressive catch and run. Wallace’s 84-yard touchdown is a play he’ll remember forever.
Losers
Bengals’ second-half performances vs. Baltimore
The Bengals had a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter against the Ravens in Week 5 and held a 21-7 advantage in the third quarter versus the Ravens in Week 10. They managed to lose both contests.
Bengals running back Chase Brown lost a fumble on Cincy’s 30-yard line. The turnover jump-started the Ravens’ offense.
Chase Brown
Brown is a promising second-year running back. But his third-quarter fumble completely shifted momentum in the game.
The Bengals had a comfortable 21-7 lead in the third quarter when Brown coughed up the football. Baltimore’s offense scored five plays after the takeaway.
Baltimore scored on four straight possessions after Brown’s fumble.
Ravens’ secondary
The Ravens pass defense is an obvious team weakness. The secondary gave up 421 passing yards and four touchdowns, mostly to one player. They are going to have nightmares about Chase.
To make matters worse, Kyle Hamilton was forced out due to an ankle injury.
Ravens’ first-half offense
The Ravens went three-and-out three times in the first half, including on their first series. As a result, they only possessed the football for 10 minutes and 35 seconds in the first half.
Baltimore’s slow start almost cost it dearly.
Referees
The officials appeared to miss multiple penalties on Cincinnati’s failed two-point conversion attempt late in the fourth quarter.
However, Baltimore has legitimate gripes as it was called for 11 total penalties. Not all of the flags were warranted.
Questionable penalties were called on both sides.
Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Tyler Dragon on X @TheTylerDragon.
