‘Thursday Night Football’ descended into controversy after a missed penalty, and missed flags, saw the Cincinnati Bengals capitulate at Baltimore Ravens, who mounted an extraordinary comeback in front of their own fans at the M&T Bank Stadium in Maryland.
The Ravens trailed for much of the match, going 7-0 down in the first quarter, but hung in there all the way through to a dramatic final quarter in which the brilliance of two-time NFL MVP Lamar Jackson, and a few apparent referee errors, helped push his side closer to a much-needed win.
Statistics showed that Thursday’s big game was one involving quarterback prowess, as both Joe Burrow and Jackson went toe-to-toe, passing for four touchdowns each, with Jackson completing 290 yards compared to Burrow’s 428 yards in total. In the dying moments, Burrow could have been the one to write the headline, however, Tanner Hudson’s two-point conversion was no good and the Bengals dropped a 34-35 loss on the night.
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In truth, the Ravens may count themselves somewhat lucky to have escaped with such a narrow win when, on any other night, the missed flags could have yielded a much different result — one which would have seen the Bengals return to Ohio with the victory.
This is because two Ravens were grabbing a hold of Mike Gesicki, as Baltimore got away with a clear case of defensive holding. Though it was picked up by the broadcast team, it was missed by the officials.
It wasn’t the only controversial incident as Joe Burrow appeared to get raked in the facemask when throwing a pass toward the end of the game. Though Burrow barely complained, the force from the hit was enough to yank his helmet, before he dropped to the floor.
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Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
Missing seemingly obvious calls had been a theme throughout the night as, earlier, Bengals fans will have felt incensed when Ravens tackle Ronnie Stanley was a couple steps too early on an 84-yard touchdown play. This was the move which gave Baltimore the momentum it needed to mount its comeback, and secure the win.
The Bengals fans have little time to lick their wounds as they take on Los Angeles Chargers at the SoFi Stadium in their next match November 17, before welcoming Pittsburgh Steelers to Cincinnati on December 1.
The Ravens now have two wins on the spin and take the momentum into their own game in Pittsburgh when they face the Steelers November 17.
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