The Cincinnati Bengals looked like two different teams during their AFC North encounter with the Baltimore Ravens in Week 7.
Ultimately, they’re the team that won, 35-13.
Joe Burrow and the Bengals were miserable-looking in the first half, to the point the final score is very deceptive. But a shocking reversal of performance in all facets led to 28 unanswered points in the second half and a blowout.
Here are some quick notes, stats to know and takeaways from the game.
Bengals vs. Ravens notes
- Disaster start in this one. Down 10-0 in the second quarter, Joe Burrow was 3-of-9 with 19 yards. The offense was fully healthy, yet never looked comfortable.
- Explosive early touchdown for the Ravens saw the Bengals in a questionable alignment before struggling players like Demetrius Knight and Jordan Battle weren’t able to contain it.
- Bengals decided to punt twice between the 45-yard-lines, with Zac Taylor just far too conservative. By halftime, they were outgained 258-59. The Ravens had 12 first downs to the Bengals' three.
- Second half, Bengals showed life. Burrow threw two quick scores to steal a lead, with shorter passes and involving tight ends helping the attack find a rhythm.
- Fan favorite tight end Erick All suffered an injury in the third quarter and went to the locker room.
- Burrow in the second half across the four straight scores: 16-of-18 for 249 yards, four touchdowns, 158.3 QB rating.
Key stat
28: Straight points for the Bengals after halftime. Kudos goes to the coaching staff for the proper adjustments. Anything they wanted to do through the air just worked. Defensively, they calmed down against a backup quarterback, figured out what didn’t work and held Derrick Henry under
three yards per carry.
Top takeaway
Take the good with the bad: The Bengals can’t afford “slow starts” on a per-game basis. But if this is as bad as it gets, on the road out of a bye against an AFC North foe, fine. The Bengals need to capture whatever worked in the second half on both sides of the ball and make it stretch for all four quarters each week. Easier said than done, but that’s goal now.
What’s next?
The Bengals return home for a Week 8 game against the Tennessee Titans before heading overseas to Madrid in Week 9 on November 8.
This article originally appeared on Bengals Wire: Instant analysis after Bengals wake up, trounce Ravens
