Baltimore Ravens Lead Cincinnati Bengals 21-10 at Halftime as Injuries Define Thursday Night Football

Injuries have marred an otherwise exciting divisional battle between the Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals.

Week 11's opener has been eventful for all the wrong reasons.

Mark Andrews has already been declared out and Joe Burrow is dealing with an ailing wrist as their respective Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals do Thursday night battle at M&T Bank Stadium. 

In the wake of the medical calamities, Lamar Jackson, who likewise had to visit the medical tent, found Nelson Agholor for a touchdown pass while Gus Edwards punched one in on the ground en route to a 21-10 lead for the Ravens. Jackson would later find Rashod Bateman for one last six-point tally before the opening half let out.

Joe Burrow INJURED; Mark Andrews OUT as Ravens Lead

Ravens (21)

PASSING: Lamar Jackson (12-of-19, 186 yards, 2 TD)
RUSHING: Lamar Jackson (3 carries, 17 yards)
RECEIVING: Odell Beckham (3 rec., 65 yards)

Bengals (10)

PASSING: Joe Burrow (11-of-17, 101 yards, 1 TD)
RUSHING: Joe Mixon (9 carries, 48 yards)
RECEIVING: Joe Mixon (4 rec., 29 yards, 1 TD)

Start the Gus

With Andrews out and Jackson potentially ailing, the Ravens would be wise to turn to their run game. Thursday's rushers have produced mixed results so far: Edwards has scored his apparently weekly touchdown while Keaton Mitchell has been bottled up and Justice Hill took an ill-advised 15-yard penalty on a punt. 

If Cincinnati is going to try and eat the clock with long drives, Baltimore can counter the potential loss of major personnel with a similar strategy. Getting Zay Flowers involved might help too: the rookie sensation had a 68-yard score on a screen pass erased by a questionable flag toss for holding against Odell Beckham Jr. 

In Their Defense...

The Ravens' defense wanted a test to prove its true mettle after last week's second-half no-show and seemed well on its way to proving its point until a lengthy scoring trek capped off by Joe Mixon's touchdown reception (12 plays, 82 yards, 7:22 of game time) changed the narrative of the first half-hour. 

With Burrow potentially out, the mission now becomes making the rarely-seen Jake Browning as uncomfortable as possible if and when he's called upon to take over.

The Dread Zone? Anything But

Just how much is losing Andrews going to affect the Ravens' plans inside the Cincinnati 20? They currently rank fourth in touchdown percentage but that, of course, has been earned with Andrews six from no more than 18 yards away. 

If there's ever a time for Baltimore's developmental receiving game to break out, this might be it ... if they can make it to the 20 again, that is. In spite of the aforementioned holding call, Beckham got off to a good start in that cause, getting Baltimore into opposing territory on their final drive with a gain of 29 on a five-yard third down. 

Beckham added two more big grabs on the Ravens' last possession of the half. Agholor got them in the end zone shortly after, capitalizing on a tipped ball that landed in his hands. Potential red zone concerns were perhaps put to rest once Jackson found Bateman for a score on the final drive.