Postgame Observations: Bengals' Rally Falls Short in 27-24 Loss to Ravens

Cincinnati falls to 0-2 this season.

Author:
James Rapien
Publish date:
Sep 17, 2023 4:02 PM EDT

In this story:

CINCINNATI — The Bengals never led in Sunday's 27-24 loss to the Ravens. Baltimore scored on their first possession and never looked back.

Cincinnati falls to 0-2 on the season and 0-2 in the AFC North.

Here are our postgame observations:

Up-And-Down Burrow

Joe Burrow completed 27-of-41 passes for 222 yards and two touchdowns. He also threw an ugly interception in the red zone and the Bengals' offense was out of rhythm for most of the game.

He did find Tee Higgins for a touchdown late in the third quarter that cut the Ravens deficit to 20-17.

It wasn't enough. The Ravens offense kept the pressure on the Bengals and the offense wasn't consistent.

Higgins was a bright spot for Cincinnati, finishing with eight catches for 89 yards and two touchdowns.

Aggravated Right Calf

Burrow appeared to re-aggravate his right calf late in the game. He used a massage gun and walked around the sidelines in hopes of loosening it up after the Bengals' final drive.

First Touchdown of 2023

The Bengals scored their first touchdown of the season in the second quarter.

Rookie wide receiver Charlie Jones had an 81-yard punt return for a touchdown. He's the first Bengals player to return a punt for a score since Adam "Pacman" Jones did it on Sept. 16, 2012.

Slow Start

The Bengals deferred after winning the coin toss, which gave the Ravens an opportunity to strike early.

Lamar Jackson completed all five of his pass attempts, leading the Ravens on a 13-play, 75-yard touchdown drive. Gus Edwards scored from one-yard out to give the Ravens the lead.

The Bengals responded by going three-and-out. Burrow appeared to extend the drive by finding Irv Smith Jr. deep down the near sideline. Smith made the catch, but only got one foot in bounds.

The Bengals went three-and-out on their second possession, despite getting the ball at midfield following Justin Tucker's missed field goal from 59-yards out.

Cincinnati finished the first quarter with just 14 yards and didn't pick up a first down.

MVP Lamar

Jackson played great on Sunday. He threatened the Bengals' defense with his legs all day long, but did more with his arm, completing 23-of-32 attempts for 239 yards and two touchdowns. He also had 42 rushing yards.

Baltimore had four drives of 10 or more plays, resulting in 20 of their points. They had back-to-back touchdowns on their first two possessions of the second half.

If the Ravens get this type of play from Jackson this season, then they're going to be a top contender in the AFC.

Up Next

The Bengals host the Rams on Monday Night Football on Sept. 15 at 8:20 p.m. ET.

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