The Ravens trail the Bengals 14-7 at halftime — the first time since Week 18 of the 2022 season they have trailed by more than three points at intermission — but they might have a bigger concern.
With 1:09 left in the first half, Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton’s right foot came down on the foot of Bengals tight end Mike Gesicki. His legs gave way. Hamilton hobbled to the sideline and eventually to the X-ray room.
The Ravens list Hamilton as questionable to return with an ankle injury.
The All-Pro has four tackles and two pass breakups tonight.
The Bengals scored on their first drive of the first half and their last drive of the first half. Chase Brown scored on a 1-yard touchdown run to complete a 12-play, 70-yard drive, and Joe Burrow threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to tight end Tanner Hudson to finish off a 10-play, 73-yard drive.
The Bengals were fortunate on both touchdown drives on plays that involved Ravens defensive back Brandon Stephens.
Stephen was called for defensive holding on a fourth-down play, giving the Bengals a new set of downs from the Baltimore 1, and Brown scored on the next play. Stephens intercepted Burrow in the end zone with 1:01 left in the half, but replay reversed the play to an incompletion when Stephens failed to get both feet down in bounds before he touched out of bounds. Hudson scored three plays later.
The Bengals have outgained the Ravens 196 to 102, with Burrow going 17-of-29 for 161 yards and a touchdown. Chase has caught four passes for 52 yards and Hudson four for 28. Brown has 13 touches for 55 yards.
Khalil Herbert, who was obtained in a trade this week, failed to secure the handoff from Burrow on his only touch but recovered the fumble that was charged to Burrow.
Ravens defensive lineman NNamdi Madubuike has two sacks of Burrow.
Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson has completed 10 of 14 passes but for only 71 yards. He threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to Nelson Agholor. The Ravens gained 59 yards on their scoring drive and only 43 on the other four.
Ravens running back Derrick Henry has six carries for 22 yards, and tight end Mark Andrews three catches for 34 yards.
The Ravens had the ball for only 10:35.
The Ravens went three-and-out on their first drive. They tied the Bengals on their second.
Baltimore took over at its own 41 after Cincinnati turned it over on downs following a Joe Burrow incompletion on fourth down. The Ravens needed nine plays to go 59 yards.
Lamar Jackson threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to Nelson Agholor, and Justin Tucker’s PAT tied up Thursday Night Football 7-7 with 13:04 remaining in the second quarter.
Jackson completed 5 of 6 passes for 40 yards and a touchdown on the drive.
Tight end Mark Andrews had a 17-yard catch, and Zay Flowers took one 11 yards.
The Bengals took the opening kickoff and did what they needed to do.
Cincinnati drove 70 yards in 12 plays, scoring on Chase Brown’s 1-yard run. The Bengals were 2-of-3 on third down, and the one time they missed, they went for it on fourth down.
Joe Burrow’s pass was incomplete to Brown, who was wide open, but Ravens defensive back Brandon Stephens was called for defensive holding. That gave the Bengals a new set of downs at the 1, and Brown scored on the next play.
Burrow completed 5 of 8 passes for 61 yards, and Chase caught two for 32 yards.
The Ravens used two timeouts on the drive, one on an ill-advised challenge that would have brought the ball back 2 yards if it had been successful, and another when they had 12 players on the field.
The Ravens then went three-and-out on their first possession, giving the ball back to the Bengals.
The Bengals officially won’t have wide receiver Tee Higgins (quad) or offensive tackle Orlando Brown Jr. (knee/fibula).
Both were ruled out for Thursday Night Football.
Higgins was doubtful and Brown questionable heading into today.
The Bengals’ other inactives are wide receiver Charlie Jones (groin), running back Kendall Milton, tight end Tanner McLachlan and defensive tackle Cedric Johnson.
The Ravens’ inactives are cornerback Tre’Davious White, tight end Isaiah Likely (hamstring), cornerback Jalyn Armour-Davis (knee), defensive end Brent Urban (concussion), running back Rasheen Ali (ankle), outside linebacker Adisa Isaac and center Nick Samac.
Baltimore acquired White in a trade from the Rams on Tuesday.
Last November 16, the Bengals played the Ravens in Baltimore. During the game, Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow suffered a season-ending wrist injury.
This week, he slipped a tinfoil hat over his frosted tips and suggested that the league likes to recreate games that entailed a serious injury the prior year.
Regardless of whether there’s merit to that (the Jets and Aaron Rodgers did indeed host the Bills again on Monday Night Football, but in Week 6 not Week 1), Burrow will be back in Baltimore for another Thursday night game. And his wrist injury continues to appear on each and every injury report, nearly a year after it happened.
Of course, the Bengals might be disclosing the injury for the same reason the Patriots perpetually listed Tom Brady’s right shoulder injury. They don’t want to hear that they’re not disclosing the condition.
There was a dustup last year as to whether Burrow had a pre-existing injury. He was spotted wearing a wrap on his arm and wrist during the trip to Baltimore.
The league investigated and then exonerated the Bengals. Because that’s what the league is inclined to do. In an age of legalized gambling from which the NFL handsomely profits, the league won’t be blowing the whistle on a team hiding injuries that hamper prop bets and other wagers?
Despite the injury continuously showing up on the report, Burrow has been playing well. He had five touchdown passes on Sunday. He’ll need to play nearly as well tonight, if the Bengals hope to move to 5-5 through 10 games.
