Bengals fritter away another big lead in a second frustrating loss to Ravens

BALTIMORE -- Another tight game, different nonaccomplishment for nan Cincinnati Bengals. It's a frustrating shape that has put nan struggling squad successful threat of missing nan playoffs contempt nan outstanding play of Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase.

For nan 2nd clip successful 2 games against nan section rival Baltimore Ravens, nan Bengals blew a large lead Thursday nighttime and mislaid 35-34. Cincinnati was connected nan cusp of reaching .500 pursuing an 0-3 start, but those hopes vanished arsenic quickly arsenic its 14-point lead successful nan 3rd quarter.

In their erstwhile crippled against Baltimore past month, nan Bengals (4-6) frittered distant a 10-point lead successful nan 4th fourth earlier losing 41-38 successful overtime.

In this one, Cincinnati led 21-7 earlier moving backmost Chase Brown had nan shot stripped and mislaid a fumble that Baltimore recovered astatine nan Cincy 31. Five plays later, nan Ravens (7-3) scored a touchdown to ignite their comeback.

“We gave them 7 points correct location pinch nan fumble,” Bengals coach Zac Taylor said. “It benignant of went backmost and distant from there.”

And erstwhile nan teams sewage done trading touchdowns, nan Ravens were 1 constituent amended aft Cincinnati grounded connected a 2-point conversion pinch 38 seconds remaining.

Burrow went 34 for 56 for 428 yards and 4 touchdowns, 3 of them to Chase, who racked up a whopping 264 yards receiving connected 11 catches and scored connected plays of 67, 70 and 5 yards.

In 2 games against Baltimore, Burrow has thrown for 820 yards and 9 TDs. Chase has amassed 457 yards and 5 touchdowns.

And incredibly, Cincinnati went 0-2 against its AFC North foe. Burrow and Chase person been magnificent this season, yet their haughty numbers are overshadowed these 2 digits: 4 and 6.

“It’s crazy,” Chase said. “I would ne'er successful a cardinal years expect maine to play this good and he play this good and still person nan grounds for illustration this.”

Cincinnati's inability to make a lead guidelines up is painfully obvious. The Bengals fell to Kansas City connected a last-second section goal; mislaid to Washington contempt getting 324 yards passing and 3 touchdowns from Burrow; and mislaid to Philadelphia erstwhile nan Eagles scored nan game's last 20 points.

Worst of all: nan copy collapses against Baltimore.

“It’s sickening that this has happened doubly to us,” Taylor said. “We sewage to find a measurement to adjacent retired these games.”

Chase has a knack for getting unfastened against nan Ravens, and Burrow usually gets him nan ball. But pinch nan result hanging successful nan balance, Burrow's propulsion connected nan 2-point conversion whistled past nan lesser known Tanner Hudson.

Asked if he was unfastened connected nan play, Chase replied, “Yeah, I'm ever open.”

Chase proved to beryllium a reliable target pinch nan Bengals forced to play without injured wide receiver Tee Higgins. But Cincinnati was virtually defenseless against Lamar Jackson and his talented set of receivers.

“It sucks losing to those guys,” Chase said. “But if we support playing and win, we’ll beryllium wherever we want to be.”

The Bengals person very small separator for correction pinch only 7 games to go. Can this squad rebound and make nan playoffs?

Chase believes so.

“Yeah, I do. One 100 percent,” he said. “We showed it tonight, what we tin do.”

And what they can't do, which is make a lead guidelines up.

“We conscionable sewage to fig retired a measurement to make that past play to win,” Taylor said.

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