This past Sunday, the Baltimore Ravens faced off against the Cincinnati Bengals during a fight for first place in the AFC North. Coming into the game, the Bengals were 4-2 and the Ravens were 5-1. The afternoon’s game between the two determined which team would have the tiebreaker for first in the division. 

It would be a good test for the Ravens yet again, but they came up short, losing 41-17. The game was even for most of the first quarter until the seven-minute and 28-second mark, where the Bengals quarterback, Joe Burrow, completed a fourth-down pass to Ja ’Marr Chase. That drive led to a field goal for the Bengals. 

In response, the Ravens marched into field goal range and made one from 45-yards. After eight minutes went by, Burrow connected with tight end C.J. Uzomah for a 55-yard touchdown. Then the Ravens matched it around the two-minute mark with a 1-yard touchdown run made by Devonta Freeman, who was filling in for the injured Latavius Murray. 

The Bengals used up all the time left on the clock before halftime and kicked a field goal to lead 13-10. The Ravens looked good coming out of the half, with Lamar Jackson finding Marquise Brown for a 39-yard catch in the back of the endzone. Unfortunately, the Ravens did not score after that for the rest of the game. 

The Bengals went on to score 28 straight points in the third and fourth quarters. This game most likely left Ravens fans questioning what went wrong. Was it the lack of effort on offense or defense? Or was it the mix of injuries, bad luck, and poor performance all around? Even though the Ravens played poorly, they are still 5-2 and technically tied with the Bengals for first. This begs the question if the Bengals will keep this momentum going or if the Ravens will catch up and beat them for a place in the playoffs. There are still 11 more weeks of football to find out!

Featured Image courtesy of WallpaperMania