Finally! Ravens Tame Bengals 27-24

The Baltimore Ravens ended a three-game losing streak to the Cincinnati Bengals, triumphing in their AFC North opener at Paycor Stadium.

The 2023 Baltimore Ravens earned their latest stripes against an appropriate opponent. 

Behind two Lamar Jackson touchdown passes and a standout defensive effort, the Ravens triumphed in their home opener against the Cincinnati Bengals, picking up revenge for last season's three-game sweep that ended in the postseason with a 27-24 victory on Sunday at Paycor Stadium.

Baltimore (2-0) earned victories in each of its first two games for the first time since 2020. But much like last week's victorious opener against Houston, it might've proved to be costly from a medical standpoint. Odell Beckham Jr. earned 29 yards on a trio of receptions but sat out the whole second half due to an ankle injury.

The Ravens' defense helped sustain the Sunday effort as the offense's new weaponry continued to find themselves. Cincinnati did not earn a first down by its own accord until the midway stages of the second quarter and Joe Burrow was held to only 35 yards on 11 attempts over the first half-hour. 

The Bengals, however, jumped out to an early 10-7 lead thanks to an 81-yard punt return score courtesy of Charlie Jones' legs, a slim advantage assisted by a missed 59-yard field goal from Justin Tucker. 

The tenured purple kicker, however, did manage to re-establish Baltimore's lead with two short triples, coupling those with a Gus Edwards rushing tally to create a 13-10 halftime lead. It set the stage for a second half that saw Jackson find Nelson Agholor and Mark Andrew for aerial tallies. Sunday marked a happy return for Andrews, who 45 yards on five receptions in his season debut after missing last week's opener.

Defending AFC North champion Cincinnati (0-2) dropped their first two to divisional competition, having previously fallen to Cleveland. Tee Higgins got the Bengals on the second-half board with two six-pointers from the arm of Burrow.

Baltimore faces Cincinnati in prime time on Nov. 16 to wrap up the yearly couple. In the meantime, the Ravens return to action on Sunday when they return home to face the Indianapolis Colts at 1 p.m.