Cincinnati Bengals

Bengals fall to Ravens, start season 0-2 for 2nd straight year

CINCINNATI — The Cincinnati Bengals started off slow against the Baltimore Ravens Sunday in a 27-24 loss at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati.

>>A.J. Green returns to Cincinnati to officially retire as Bengal

Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson passed for 237 yards and two touchdowns. Baltimore rushed for 178 yards against Cincinnati.

Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow threw for 222 yards and a pair of second-half scores to Tee Higgins.

Cincinnati drops to 0-2 to start the season for the second straight year.

>>Bengals release offensive lineman La’el Collins

The Ravens drove 70 yards to start the game and took nearly eight minutes off the first-quarter clock. Gus Edwards capped it with a one-yard touchdown run to put them up, 7-0.

Bengals rookie Charlie Jones tied at 7-7 early in the second quarter with an 81-yard punt return for a touchdown, the first punt returned for a score by a Cincinnati player since 2012.

Justin Tucker and Evan McPherson exchanged field goals to keep the game tied at 10-10.

Tucker’s 40-yarder as the first half ended put Baltimore ahead, 13-10.

>>Browns pound Bengals to open 2023 season in 100th ‘Battle of Ohio’

Cincinnati drove to the Ravens’ 17-yard line to start the second half but Geno Stone’s interception stopped the drive and Jackson found tight end Mark Andrews for a three-yard touchdown to extend the lead to 20-10.

The Bengals cut it 20-17 when Burrow found Higgins for a three-yard touchdown pass with over two-and-half minutes left in the third quarter.

Baltimore pushed the lead back to 10, 27-17, when Jackson threw a 17-yard touchdown pass to Nelson Agholar in the fourth quarter.

Burrow threw a four-yard touchdown to Higgins with 3:28 left to cut the deficit back to three points but the Ravens got a pair of first downs to seal the game.

Cincinnati will go for their first win of the season on September 25 when they host the Los Angeles Rams in a Super Bowl rematch.

The game will be played at 8:15 p.m. at part of Monday Night Football.

0