Ravens collapse again, allow 35 straight points in 35-13 loss to Bengals

Brian Wacker, The Baltimore Sun on Oct 25, 2026

Published in Football

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

BALTIMORE — It would be a tease if it all wasn’t so familiar.

The Baltimore Ravens entered Sunday’s critical AFC North showdown against the Cincinnati Bengals having blown 16 double-digit leads since 2018, most in NFL history.

Make that 17.

After jumping out to a 13-0 first-half lead at M&T Bank Stadium with backup quarterback Tyler Huntley starting for a third straight game for injured star Lamar Jackson, they watched the Bengals score 35 second-half points on their way to a 35-13 win.

It marked the first time Ravens (4-3) have started 0-2 in the division since 2007. Two weeks after leading the AFC North, they are now last.

The Bengals (4-2) are now 4-0 against the Ravens when Jackson doesn’t play, compared to 2-11 when he does.

Huntley (23-of-34 passing, 298 yards, one touchdown, one interception) started fast again but, like the rest of the offense, struggled to move the ball in the second half.

Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow did not.

After being held to 43 passing yards in the first two quarters as Baltimore dominated time of possession, Burrow finished 22 of 30 with 292 yards and four touchdowns. Cincinnati scored on its first five second-half possessions to blow the game open.

Tee Higgins led the Bengals’ receiving corps with six catches for 148 yards and a touchdown, while Ja’Marr Chase had five catches for 62 yards and another score. Tight ends Drew Sample and Mike Gesicki each caught a touchdown pass.

For a while, at least, it looked like this time might be different.

On the first play of the game, Huntley connected with rookie tight end Josh Cuevas for 16 yards. Three plays later, the Ravens hit pay dirt.

On a third-and-1, wideout Zay Flowers caught a screen pass, and with receiver Tez Walker, right tackle Roger Rosengarten and left guard John Simpson blocking out in front, the play raced 48 yards for a touchdown and a 7-0 lead.

Two possessions later, Baltimore found an equally effective way to slow down Burrow: An 18-play, 78-yard drive that chewed up 11 minutes. Except it ended with a field goal after a false start by rookie tight end Matt Hibner wiped out a fourth-and-1 try.

Their next series followed the same script.

Baltimore drove 82 yards in 13 plays and chewed up 6:09, but two errant throws by Huntley, first to tight end Mark Andrews, then to rookie wide receiver Ja’Kobi Lane, were costly. Either would have resulted in a touchdown. Instead, another short field goal.

Flowers had a field day, catching six passes for 120 yards and scoring in the first 30 minutes, marking the third time this season he topped the century mark in a half.

The Bengals, meanwhile, managed just 59 yards in the opening two quarters, their fewest since 2018.

It didn’t matter. Despite Baltimore holding the ball for 22:40 of the first 30 minutes, the dam broke quickly.

The Ravens’ problems looked as familiar as the outcome. Missed tackles. Penalties. Missed opportunities. A leaky secondary. A pass rush that vanished. Not to mention a struggling offensive line (which lost rookie guard Vega Ioane to a knee injury ) and a running game stuck in the mud, as Derrick Henry finished with 45 yards on 17 carries while Baltimore averaged 3.1 yards per attempt.

The Ravens entered the game with a league-best plus-52 point differential in the first half this season. The second half, of course, has been a different story, with a minus-35 differential, which ranks 31st.

On the Bengals’ opening second-half possession, Burrow carved up the defense, completing all six passes for 59 yards. That included a 6-yard touchdown pass to Gesicki, cutting the deficit to six.

In one drive, the Bengals tallied more yards than they did the entire first half. It signaled what was to come.

On Cincinnati’s next series, Burrow completed 3 of 4 passes, including a 13-yard touchdown strike to Higgins, to take the lead. That was more than enough.

The Ravens allowed 35 points in the second half, a franchise record. The Bengals also became just the 10th team in NFL history to be shut out in the first half and score 35 or more points in the second.

The lead was gone in a flash. Again.

____