Baltimore's offense was nowhere to be seen in the first half, with both QB Joe Flacco and the running game forced to struggle for minimal yards at a time against a suffocating Cincinnati defensive corps.
Cincinnati wouldn't be able to fully cash in on Baltimore's offensive malaise, however, as they relied on five Mike Nugent field goals to had into the break up 15-0.
Our Ravens/Bengals First-Half Recap
The first half started out with a whimper for the Ravens as they were forced to kick it away to the Bengals after what looked to be a promising drive. The Bengals would counter with an eight-play, 63-yard possession - keyed by a 32-yard Andy Dalton pass to RB Gio Bernard followed by a 23-yard hookup with WR AJ Green.
The drive would die off for all intents and purposes from there, and Mike Nugent would have his sixth field goal attempt blocked to give the Ravens new hope down two scores.
Joe Flacco would throw an extremely ill-timed interception, however, on the Ravens' next touch, and it seemed as if the Bengals had reseized momentum. However, Cincinnati would boot it away after just six plays and 17 yards, as the Ravens dodged a major bullet with the game on the line.
Flacco would shake off his mistake on the Ravens' next drive in impressive fashion. The Ravens' franchise signal caller engineered a ten-play, 82-yard drive almost exclusively out of the shotgun. RB Justin Forsett would do the honors for the Ravens, as he scampered into the paint for a 13-yard, game-altering TD rush.
Cincinnati's offense would be unable to put a dent into Baltimore's newfound confidence, as a three-and-out would hand the ball right back to the Ravens with the scoreline at 15-7.
The Ravens would respond with a classic grind-it-out scoring drive. While they only picked up 3.7 yards per down on the ensuing 13 plays, Baltimore got themselves into field goal position for a 38-yard Justin Tucker scoring boot.
With the lead down to 15-10, Cincinnati would be forced to boot it away one more time after just four plays and 22 yards.
Joe Flacco would take advantage of the situation with aplomb. An 80-yard touchdown strike to WR Steve Smith (keyed by very solid mobility by Flacco rolling right) put the Ravens ahead 16-15. Justin Forsett's two-point conversion rush was held back, so the Bengals received the ball down one.
Andy Dalton had an answer, however, and his name was AJ Green. On an insane 77-yard TD reception where Green deflected the ball back to himself at the Ravens 25, the Bengals quickly regained the lead on a two-play, 48 second drive. Dalton would hit Mohamed Sanu for a two-point conversion, as the Bengals regained the lead at 23-16.
Flacco almost had another answer, as he moved the Ravens down to the Cincinnati 21 with time dwindling away. However, he was forced to take a sack on a 4th-and-9 with just a minute remaining to end the Ravens' last hope for victory.
Two Andy Dalton victory plays later and the Bengals had a gritty 23-16 victory in hand.
Back to the Baltimore Ravens Newsfeed