Joe Burrow is back, and the Bengals are climbing their way back into the hunt.
Cincinnati defeated Baltimore 32-14 on Thursday night to cap the three-game Thanksgiving slate.
Burrow passed for two touchdowns, both of which came in the third quarter. He ended the contest 24-of-46 for 261 yards, completing seven passes to Ja’Marr Chase for 110 yards.
Tanner Hudson caught Burrow’s first scoring strike for a 14-yard connection, securing the ball as he went to the ground in the end zone.
Andrei Iosivas caught the next TD on Cincinnati’s next drive, which gave the Bengals a 26-14 lead with 15 seconds left in the third period and was more than enough to carry the day.
The Bengals had missed several red-zone opportunities in the first half, particularly after getting the ball on the 2-yard line after the defense recovered a Lamar Jackson fumble on a sack. But with one run play and three incompletions, the Bengals ended up turning it over on downs.
Evan McPherson did hit all six of his field goal attempts on Thursday, connecting from 31, 42, 24, 33, 52, and 41 yards.
Cincinnati’s defense played as well as it has all season, forcing five turnovers — plus a turnover on downs — to help lead the club to victory. Jackson had three giveaways with two lost fumbles and an interception. Tight end Isaiah Likely fumbled just before crossing the goal line and the ball went out of the end zone for a touchback. Zay Flowers also lost a fumble, plus he negated what would’ve been a long touchdown reception with offensive pass interference.
Jackson finished 17-of-32 for 246 yards, plus 27 yards on six carries. It’s now the first time in Jackson’s career that he’s gone three consecutive regular-season games without throwing a touchdown.
With the win, the Bengals are now 4-8. While they have plenty of work to do, they’re not necessarily out of the postseason race. They’ll take on the Bills on the road in Week 14.
The Ravens are now 6-6, falling a half-game behind the Steelers in the AFC North. Baltimore will host Pittsburgh next Sunday for a significant divisional matchup.