Joe Burrow, out since Week 2, leads Bengals to win over Ravens in return

Joe Burrow’s return to the Cincinnati Bengals couldn’t have gone any better; On Thanksgiving night, he helped his team to a 32-14 victory over the Baltimore Ravens and end their four-game losing streak.

The Bengals improved to 4-8 on the season, while the Ravens, who had won five straight games at home on Thursday night, dropped to 6-6 on the season.

Bengals fans have been patiently waiting for their quarterback to return under center, and the wait has been worth it. It took a while for Burrow to get going, but once he found his rhythm with all of his receivers, the Bengals’ classic offense emerged in Baltimore.

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Despite Derrick Henry’s 28-yard field goal on the Ravens’ opening drive, it was a matter of field goals in the first half. Criticized for being slow and not very explosive despite the winning streak, Lamar Jackson and the Ravens had trouble handling the football on the night, resulting in three turnovers in the first half.

Jackson came on the team’s second drive, was sacked near the goal line and caught the ball at the Bengals two-yard line. But the Ravens’ defense picked up the slack and forced a turnover on downs, despite excellent field position from Burrow and his staff.

But the pass that really hurt the Ravens was the pass to tight end Isaiah Likely, who rushed for 43 yards and appeared to scramble into the end zone for a 14-6 lead. But just before breaking the plane, he fumbled the ball and the plane went out of the end zone.

BENGAL TEAM FLIGHT WAS DELAYED BY MORE THAN 5 HOURS AHEAD OF AFC NORTH BATTLE VS RAVENS

Conclusion? No points and no touchbacks for the Bengals to take control, they would eventually take a 9-7 lead after Evan McPherson hit his third field goal of the night.

At halftime it looked like the score would go up 9-7, but on the first play of the next Ravens drive, Jackson was unable to keep the ball after starting his throwing motion, allowing the Bengals to not only recover the ball but also kick a field goal with 10 seconds left in the quarter.

The second half was when the Bengals started to go on the offensive offensively, and that came on their first drive where Burrow went 10 plays and 61 yards, finding tight end Tanner Hudson for a 14-yard touchdown pass to start extending the lead on the scoreboard.

But Jackson and the Ravens responded, with Keaton Mitchell finding a seam and breaking in an 18-yard field goal to make it 19-14. But the typical AFC North clash between these two rivals means never getting too comfortable, even after a big score.

Joe Burrow of the Cincinnati Bengals celebrates a touchdown against the Baltimore Ravens during the third quarter of the game at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland on November 27, 2025. (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

Andre Iosivas, who was silent on this game at the time, caught a deep pass from Burrow and kicked a 29-yard field goal; This proved to be crucial as the Ravens began to press entering the fourth quarter.

But the Bengals defense was statistically the worst in the NFL in terms of yards allowed (415.8 per game) and points (32.7) entering this game. That meant the Ravens were definitely not out of the game with 15 minutes left.

However, keeping the ball was still a major problem. Jackson was intercepted at Cincinnati’s eight-yard line on a pass intended for Mark Andrews. Then they turned the ball over with eight minutes left in the quarter and the score was 29-14.

But there was some hope when Bengals running back Samaje Perine couldn’t find the game-ending snap at the Baltimore 12-yard line. But the Ravens returned the favor five plays later, as Zay Flowers fumbled near midfield as the Ravens desperately tried to make it a one-score game.

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McPherson would score his sixth goal of the night and give the Bengals a much-needed victory.

In his return, Burrow was 24-for-46 for 261 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions, while Chase had 110 yards on seven catches. Chase Brown added 78 yards on the ground while catching seven passes for 35 yards.

For the Ravens, Jackson was just 17-of-32 for 246 yards, no touchdowns and one interception. He also had six rushes for 27 yards. Henry finished with 60 yards on the ground, while Likely led the way with 95 yards through the air on five catches.

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