By CNN
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In a clash between two AFC North titans, the Baltimore Ravens improved to 8-3 on the season as they took down the Cincinnati Bengals, 34-20, at M&T Bank Stadium on Thursday.
It was not the primetime offensive classic that many had hoped for – there were nine punts as well as a missed field goal by Bengals kicker Evan McPherson on a disjointed night of football in Maryland.
The matchup was also marred by injuries, with the most notable victim being Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow. He had reportedly been spotted on Wednesday wearing a type of brace or sleeve on his right wrist, but Burrow was not listed on the Bengals injury list coming into Thursday’s game.
However, despite initially appearing to be fine during Cincinnati’s opening drives, Burrow seemed to be in pain after throwing a touchdown pass to Joe Mixon in the second quarter and was seen clutching his wrist.
The QB headed to the blue medical tent before being shown on the broadcast to be struggling with his grip and throwing the ball. He departed to the locker room shortly after and was ruled out for the rest of the game by the Bengals.
“It looked like he sprained his wrist,” said Cincinnati head coach Zac Taylor after the game. “He fell on it early in the game and then felt it on the touchdown pass.”
The severity of the injury and a scheduled return date are currently unclear for Burrow, who was replaced by undrafted quarterback Jake Browning, who saw on-field action for only the second time in his NFL career.
Meanwhile, the Ravens continue to set the pace in the hotly contested AFC North as they picked up their eighth win of the year.
The game started off in perfect fashion for Baltimore, with its first drive of the game culminating in a short rushing touchdown by running back Gus Edwards.
It was not all positive for the Ravens though. Tight end Mark Andrews suffered an ankle injury on the opening drive and was ruled out for the game. According to head coach John Harbaugh, the injury will keep Andrews out for the remainder of the season.
The Bengals tacked three points on the board with a field goal on the next possession before a dry offensive spell for both teams resulted in a series of punts.
The stalemate was broken by Mixon’s touchdown, but the Ravens put themselves ahead again when star quarterback Lamar Jackson – who finished with two TDs in the air and 54 yards on the ground on the night – connected with wide receiver Nelson Agholor, who evaded traffic to make his way into the end zone for a 37-yard touchdown.
Browning had been thrust into a tough situation and the Cincinnati offense was unable to gain much ground against the ferocious Baltimore pass rush, which leads the league in sacks at 44, per StatMuse.
Baltimore wideout Rashod Bateman added another Ravens touchdown to the scoreboard and the teams entered the halftime interval with the score at 21-10.
Despite scoring first in the second half after another McPherson field goal, the Bengals never really looked as though they were a threat to the Ravens.
Baltimore kicker Justin Tucker responded with two field goals of his own in the third quarter, before Edwards scored his second touchdown late in the fourth.
Browning ended the game on a positive personal note, throwing his first NFL touchdown pass to Ja’Marr Chase with just over a minute left in the matchup.
Jackson finished 16-of-26 passing for 264 yards, despite also seeming to be affected by an ankle injury at certain points. With Andrews ruled out, Jackson’s primary target became Odell Beckham Jr., who had his first game with over 100 receiving yards since the 2021 NFC Championship game. However, he was another star player that was caught by the injury bug and missed the last few minutes of the game with a shoulder knock.
Next up for the Ravens are the Los Angeles Chargers, while the Bengals, now at 5-5 and last in the AFC North, look forward to a pivotal clash against divisional rivals, the Pittsburgh Steelers.
