It was an extremely frustrating first half of football for the Cincinnati Bengals in Baltimore on Sunday, with questions looming about their 2026 playoff viability. Heading into the locker room at the halfway mark with a 13-0 deficit, very little was working on both sides of the ball.
Whatever the message and adjustments were during halftime worked beautifully (Joe Burrow said in a CBS postgame interview that Ja’Marr Chase was the most vocal), as the Bengals came out determined to change the course of the game. They did so with immense gusto, throttling the Ravens with 35 unanswered points in the final two quarters, while disallowing Baltimore to score again.
How rare was that? The Bengals are only the 10th team in NFL history to be shut out in the first half and still score 35+ points in the second half. Their 35 second-half points are the most by a team shut out in the first half since the Minnesota Vikings scored 39 points in Week 15 of 2022 to complete the largest comeback in NFL history (trailed 33-0) against the Indianapolis Colts.
Cincinnati’s Demolition Began on Offense
The Bengals received the third-quarter kickoff and promptly moved down the field. Joe Burrow started to gain momentum, hitting Mike Gesicki for a touchdown to start the avalanche.
Burrow started the game just 6-of-12 passing for 43 yards through the first two quarters. As the Bengals shifted to working less under center in the second half, Cincinnati’s star quarterback went 16-of-18 for 249 yards and four passing touchdowns.
Ja’Marr Chase caught fire late with an electric 33-yard gain off of a short pass, and a touchdown grab a few plays later. Tee Higgins was incredible in this contest, grabbing six catches for 148 yards and a touchdown—all in the final two quarters.
Cincinnati also found some semblance of the run game on Sunday, getting 55 yards and a touchdown on 15 combined carries from Samaje Perine and Chase Brown. While it’s not eye-popping, there were a couple of crucial runs that converted first downs to continue the Bengals’ barrage of Baltimore.
Don’t Forget About the Defense
The defense had some issues in the first half, namely on two huge conversions on third-and-long (one for a 48-yard touchdown reception by Zay Flowers) in the first two quarters. However, they did hold Baltimore to two field goal attempts when it looked like more points would have been scored.
But the Bengals’ defense ended up swarming the Ravens’ offense, netting four sacks, an interception, and a stop on downs deep in their own territory in the second half. Dexter Lawrence and Co. also clamped down on Derrick Henry all day, limiting him to just 2.6 yards per carry on 17 attempts.
Cincinnati’s defensive smothering of Baltimore led to this second-half sequence of Ravens’ offensive possessions:
- Punt (following a Bengals touchdown)
- Turnover on Downs
- Punt
- Interception
- Turnover on Downs
Special Teams Continues to show up
Evan McPherson didn’t have a field goal attempt opportunity, but he was 5-of-5 on extra point attempts (all in the second half). Through six games, he remains perfect on all field goal and extra point attempts.
Ryan Rehkow was a bit of an anomaly with his performance, as he punted well in the first half. Baltimore had three first-half drives start at their own 3-yard line, their own 6-yard line, and their own 12-yard line. He didn’t get an opportunity to punt in the second half, with the Bengals charging for five touchdowns.
While he had a bad drop early on, Dohnte Meyers atoned for the mistake with a big 31-yard punt return when the Bengals were down 13-7 in the third quarter.
A Complete Team Comeback
While the deplorable first half was a team effort, it was a rally by the whole team to flip this game on its head. Kudos to the Bengals coaches and players for lighting a fire under everyone at halftime, and perfect execution in all phases for the final two quarters of the game.
Some cynics may point to Lamar Jackson’s absence and/or the Ravens’ penchant for having second-half troubles this season, but there are no easy wins in the NFL—much less in the AFC North.