Bengals Knock Off the Ravens to Take Lead in AFC North on Thursday Night Football

Baltimore Ravens 

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Cincinnati Bengals

Cincinnati 34, Baltimore 23 - The Bengals look surprisingly good so far this season!

Just four days after defeating the Indianapolis Colts 34-23, the Bengals knocked off their division rivals, the Baltimore Ravens, by the exact same score.

Andy Dalton had a monster day, completing 24 of 42 passes for 265 yards and a whopping four touchdowns. Joe Mixon also added another dimension with some strong running, gaining 84 yards on 21 carries. 

Joe Flacco, in a losing cause, completed 32 of 55 pass attempts for 376 yards and two touchdowns, although he also threw two interceptions.

Dalton connected with A.J. Green for two touchdowns in the first quarter alone, as Cincy jumped out ahead of Baltimore, 14-0. The two connected again early in the second quarter for another touchdown, and the Bengals were up, 21-0.

The Ravens answered not long after, but then the Bengals explosive offense got right back on the saddle, as Dalton once again threw another touchdown pass, this time to Tyler Boyd with 2:58 left in the half  to give Cincy a 28-7 lead.

Andy Dalton had a monster day, completing 24 of 42 passes for 265 yards and a whopping four touchdowns. Joe Mixon also added another dimension with some strong running, gaining 84 yards on 21 carries. 

Baltimore was able to get a touchdown themselves with just eight seconds left in the first half, as Flacco connected with Mark Andrews, to pull the Ravens within 28-14. In fact, Baltimore did make a run of it, closing to within 28-23 in the fourth quarter after getting a field goal in the third quarter, during which time they managed to keep the dangerous Cincy offense from adding to the scoreboard in the third quarter. Then, Flacco connected with John Brown with 9:35 left in the game to make it a one possession game.

However, the Bengals got just enough productivity in the final quarter to put themselves in field goal positions, and render the Ravens situation increasingly difficult and, ultimately, hopeless. Randy Bullock knocked down two field goals, the first from 28 yards, and the second from 40 yards out, to ice the win for the Bengals.

For now, Cincinnati has the lead in the AFC North with a perfect 2-0 record, while the Ravens fall to 1-1. The Steelers and Browns both stand at 0-0-1, and having produced a rare tie between them. In the upcoming Week 2 in the NFL, Cleveland will go down to New Orleans to face the Saints, while Pittsburgh host Kansas City.