Cincinnati Bengals 20-34 Baltimore Ravens: Joe Burrow hurt as Lamar Jackson guides hosts to win in injury-plagued game
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow suffers wrist sprain as he exits his side's 34-20 defeat to the Baltimore Ravens, who also lose star tight end Mark Andrews for the rest of the season with an ankle injury; Lamar Jackson throws two touchdowns to Nelson Agholor and Rashod Bateman.
Friday 17 November 2023 13:35, UK
Lamar Jackson threw two touchdown passes in the second quarter as the Baltimore Ravens beat Cincinnati 34-20 on Thursday night after the Bengals lost star quarterback Joe Burrow to a wrist injury.
The AFC North-leading Ravens (8-3) completed a head-to-head sweep of Cincinnati (5-5) and moved to two-and-a-half games ahead of the last-place Bengals. And that is far from Cincinnati's only problem, Burrow leaving in the second quarter and never returning after throwing a touchdown pass.
Bengals coach Zac Taylor said after the game it looked like Burrow had a sprained wrist.
Baltimore were dealt an injury blow of their own, with tight end Mark Andrews expected to miss the rest of the season with an ankle issue.
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The Bengals were up 10-7 after Burrow's four-yard scoring toss to Joe Mixon, but the Ravens answered when Jackson's pass over the middle bounced off linebacker Germaine Pratt and right to receiver Nelson Agholor, who caught the ball in stride and punctuated the 37-yard touchdown with a flip into the end zone.
Jackson threw a 10-yard TD pass to Rashod Bateman with 23 seconds left in the half to put Baltimore up 21-10.
Jake Browning, a 27-year-old backup who had played in only one NFL game, relieved Burrow and was able to guide the Bengals to a field goal to start the second half. But that was all he could manage until he threw a two-yard touchdown pass to Ja'Marr Chase with 1:08 remaining in the game.
Stats leaders:
Cincinnati Bengals
- Passing: Joe Burrow, 11/17, 101 yards, 1 TD
- Jake Browning, 8/14, 68 yards, 1 TD
- Rushing: Joe Mixon, 16 carries, 69 yards
- Receiving: Tanner Hudson, 4 catches, 49 yards
Baltimore Ravens
- Passing: Lamar Jackson, 16/26, 264 yards, 2 TDs
- Rushing: Gus Edwards, 12 carries, 62 yards, 2 TDs
- Receiving: Odell Beckham Jr, 4 catches, 116 yards
Jackson threw for 264 yards despite losing one of his top targets - Andrews - to an ankle injury on the first drive of the game.
Gus Edwards bookended Baltimore's day offensively with three-yard touchdown runs - the first made it 7-0 and the latter 34-13.
Cincinnati won the division the past two years, when late-season injuries kept Jackson off the field for the Ravens. This year Jackson has been able to stay healthy - he went into the tent after appearing to hurt a foot or ankle in the first quarter Thursday but stayed in the game - and Baltimore's AFC North rivals are the ones dealing with health concerns at quarterback.
Cleveland, who won at Baltimore last weekend to pull within a half-game of first place, lost Deshaun Watson for the season with a fractured shoulder. Now Burrow is dealing with another injury after he faced calf trouble earlier this season.
The Ravens had five sacks on the day, increasing their league-leading total to 44.
Scoring summary
What's next?
The Bengals are next in action at home to the Pittsburgh Steelers next Sunday, while the Ravens are on the road against the Los Angeles Chargers.
Week 11 continues on Sky Sports NFL on Sunday when the Cleveland Browns take on the Pittsburgh Steelers with hour-long build-up underway from 5pm. That is followed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at the San Francisco 49ers, before the Minnesota Vikings meet the Denver Broncos in Sunday Night Football.
