Joe Burrow Throws Four Second-Half Touchdowns as Bengals Erase 13-Point Deficit to Rout Ravens

For thirty minutes at M&T Bank Stadium, the Cincinnati Bengals looked completely broken. They crossed midfield exactly once, managed a miserable two first downs, and watched the Baltimore Ravens dictate the terms of a grinding AFC North brawl. Then Joe Burrow walked out of the tunnel for the third quarter and set the stadium on fire.[1][6]

Facing a 13-0 halftime deficit, Cincinnati rattled off 35 unanswered points to crush Baltimore 35-13 on Sunday. The Bengals scored touchdowns on their first five possessions of the second half, flipping a sluggish road trip into a divisional statement. The victory pushes Cincinnati to 4-2, while the Ravens fall to 4-3 after suffering their second consecutive divisional loss.[1][4][7]

Burrow was the undeniable catalyst, shaking off a 43-yard first half to deliver a flawless final two quarters. The franchise quarterback completed 16 of his 18 second-half passes for 249 yards and four touchdowns, finishing the half with a perfect 158.3 passer rating. He spread the damage surgically, finding Mike Gesicki, Tee Higgins, Ja'Marr Chase, and Drew Sample for scores.[1][2][6]

The locker room atmosphere shifted dramatically during the break. "Halftime, we came in here and took a deep breath," Bengals head coach Zac Taylor told reporters postgame. "I thought guys really handled themselves well, and we came out and scored five straight touchdowns in the second half. Defense got five straight stops. That's how you've got to do it."[5]

The comeback etched the Bengals into the history books. Cincinnati became just the 10th team in NFL history to be shut out in the first half and score 35 or more points in the second half. It was the highest second-half scoring output by a team blanked in the first two quarters since the Vikings' historic 33-point comeback against the Colts in 2022.[5]

The Ravens initially looked poised to run away with the game despite missing starting quarterback Lamar Jackson for the third straight week with an ankle injury. Backup Tyler Huntley orchestrated a dominant first half, highlighted by a 48-yard catch-and-run touchdown on a screen pass to Zay Flowers. Baltimore controlled the clock for over 22 minutes before the break.[3][4]

But the Ravens' offense evaporated when the third quarter began. Baltimore went three-and-out on its opening second-half possession, opening the door for Burrow to find Gesicki for a six-yard touchdown. Moments later, Burrow connected with Higgins on a 13-yard strike over the middle, giving Cincinnati a 14-13 edge it would never relinquish.[1][4]

Higgins was virtually unguardable down the stretch. The veteran receiver hauled in six passes for 148 yards, repeatedly torching the Baltimore secondary to keep the chains moving. His performance marked the 17th time in his career he crossed the 100-yard threshold, pushing him past 6,000 career receiving yards in the process.[5][8]

The stark contrast in situational football defined the afternoon. Baltimore converted eight of its 11 third-down attempts in the first half, keeping the Bengals' defense exhausted and on the field. In the second half, the Ravens went 1-for-5 on third down until the final minute of the game, leaving Huntley with few answers against Cincinnati's aggressive pressure packages.[1][6]

Baltimore's collapse marks a troubling trend for head coach John Harbaugh's squad. The Ravens have now blown a double-digit second-half lead for the second straight week, and they have been outscored 48-0 after halftime over their last two contests. Without Jackson's dynamic playmaking, the offense simply could not sustain drives against an adjusting Cincinnati front.[4][6]

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Cincinnati's defense deserves equal credit for the turnaround, completely neutralizing Baltimore's ground game. Star running back Derrick Henry was held to a grinding 45 yards on 17 carries. Defensive end Boye Mafe led the pass rush with two of the team's four sacks, consistently dropping Huntley in crucial third-down situations.[5][8]

The decisive moment arrived early in the fourth quarter. Trailing 14-13, Baltimore faced a massive fourth-and-two from the Cincinnati 12-yard line. Huntley looked for rookie tight end Josh Cuevas on a crossing route, but the pass fell incomplete under heavy pressure. The Bengals immediately marched 88 yards down the field, capping the drive with a one-yard touchdown run by Samaje Perine.[4][6]

Any remaining hope for a Baltimore comeback died midway through the fourth quarter when linebacker Demetrius Knight Jr. intercepted Huntley. Burrow capitalized immediately, firing a 16-yard touchdown pass to Sample to push the lead to 35-13. The sequence effectively ended the competitive phase of the afternoon, allowing former Raven Joe Flacco to enter for mop-up duty.[1][5]

Both teams suffered attrition during the physical divisional clash. Cincinnati lost safety Kyle Dugger to a quad injury and cornerback DJ Turner II to a knee issue, testing their secondary depth. Baltimore linebacker Roquan Smith also exited early in the fourth quarter with a knee injury, further depleting a defense that was already struggling to contain Burrow.[1][4]

The Bengals now return to Paycor Stadium to host the Tennessee Titans in Week 8, carrying the momentum of a historic turnaround. The Ravens, meanwhile, face a short week of hard questions before hosting the Buffalo Bills on November 1. They must figure out how to stop the second-half bleeding, with or without their MVP quarterback.[1][5]