BALTIMORE — In a thrilling showdown on Thursday night, Lamar Jackson delivered a stellar performance, tossing three touchdowns in the fourth quarter. His efforts led the Baltimore Ravens to a narrow victory over the Cincinnati Bengals with a final score of 35-34 after a critical stop on a two-point conversion with just 38 seconds remaining.
The Ravens, who improved their record to 7-3, managed to turn the tide after trailing 21-7 during the third quarter. Cincinnati’s star wide receiver, Ja’Marr Chase, had a remarkable outing, recording 11 receptions for 264 yards and scoring three touchdowns. His final touchdown, a 5-yard catch in the last minute, brought the Bengals (4-6) within a single point. However, Cincinnati opted to chase the win with a two-point conversion, but Joe Burrow’s pass intended for Tanner Hudson was out of reach, sealing the win for Baltimore.
The Bengals appeared poised to take control when they were ahead by 14 points in the third, but a fumble by Chase Brown gifted the Ravens an advantageous position. Lamar Jackson captivated the crowd with an impressive run along the sideline, enabling Derrick Henry to score on a 1-yard touchdown.
In the fourth quarter, Tylan Wallace made a spectacular play, turning a short pass into an exhilarating 84-yard touchdown, managing to stay in bounds despite attempts by Cincinnati defenders to tackle him. Although Justin Tucker missed the subsequent extra point, the Ravens were now trailing by only one point.
Cincinnati attempted to advance into Baltimore territory but faced missed opportunities when Burrow’s passes came up short on both third-and-2 and fourth-and-2 situations. Jackson responded with an 18-yard touchdown pass to Mark Andrews, giving the Ravens the lead. To add to their advantage, Jackson executed a successful 2-point conversion run.
Chase responded quickly, scoring on a 70-yard touchdown reception to tie the game at 28 with just under six minutes remaining. However, the Ravens fought back with Jackson connecting with Rashod Bateman for a 5-yard touchdown, bringing the score to 35-28 with only 1:49 left on the clock.
In an explosive fourth quarter, the Ravens accumulated 231 of their 389 total yards. Jackson completed 290 passing yards with four touchdowns, while Burrow amassed 428 passing yards and also threw four touchdowns.
In the early stages of the game, Cincinnati drew first blood with a 1-yard touchdown rush by Brown. Baltimore believed they had halted the Bengals on a fourth-down attempt near the goal line, but a holding penalty on cornerback Brandon Stephens allowed Cincinnati to continue their drive.
As the game progressed, the Ravens utilized two timeouts during Cincinnati’s inaugural drive, including one on an unsuccessful challenge. Jackson later connected with Nelson Agholor for a 6-yard touchdown in the second quarter. However, shortly after the injury of All-Pro safety Kyle Hamilton, Burrow managed to reclaim the lead for Cincinnati with a 3-yard touchdown pass to Hudson.
Toward the end of the first half, Baltimore found itself close to midfield but ran out of timeouts and the clock expired before they could capitalize on the opportunity. In a pivotal moment early in the third quarter, Burrow threw a stunning 67-yard touchdown pass to Chase, which added to the intensity of the game.
Looking ahead, the Bengals are set to face the Los Angeles Chargers on November 17, while the Ravens will take on their rivals, the Pittsburgh Steelers, on the same date.