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BALTIMORE \u2014 On a chilly Thanksgiving night in Charm City,\u00a0Joe Burrow\u00a0gave the\u00a0Cincinnati Bengals\u00a0a spark. Whether it becomes a playoff flame remains to be seen.<\/p>\n
Playing for the first time since he suffered a turf toe injury that required surgery 11 weeks ago, Burrow was good enough to engineer a much-needed\u00a032-14\u00a0win over the\u00a0Baltimore Ravens\u00a0\u2013 though the\u00a0Bengals\u00a0(4-8) remain postseason long shots, sitting in 12th place overall in the AFC. The outcome had more immediate consequences for the\u00a0Ravens, who fell to 6-6 and out of the projected playoff field by ceding first place in the AFC North back to the\u00a0Pittsburgh Steelers.<\/p>\n
Asked on NBC\u2019s telecast prior to kickoff why he\u2019d returned to a team with little hope of survival beyond the regular season, Burrow replied: \u201cWe\u2019re getting paid a lot of money to play a kid\u2019s game,\u201d adding he wanted to be with his guys \u2212 who\u2019d gone 1-8 in his absence.<\/p>\n
Now 3-0 with Burrow in the lineup, the Stripes were the obvious winners, their relevance extended at least another 10 days. Yet there were plenty of other winners and losers on Thursday night at M&T Bank Stadium:<\/p>\n
Playing in near-freezing temperatures on a breezy night and with a protective metal plate in his cleat, he was hardly vintage Burrow. But he warmed up in the second half, throwing both of his touchdown passes after Cincinnati had settled for four first-half field goals. As the toe continues to heal, his rhythm returns and maybe WR Tee Higgins (concussion) returns, maybe \u2013 just maybe \u2013 Burrow can lead this team on a late-season charge similar to last year\u2019s \u2026 though that one fell one win shy of a playoff berth.<\/p>\n
Much maligned this season \u2212 and, deservedly so, in recent years \u2212 Cincinnati’s D played even more inspired football than the Burrow-led offense. Entering the game giving up the most yards and points per game in the league, the Bengals forced a season-high five turnovers and otherwise largely held Baltimore’s offense in check.<\/p>\n
Cincy’s No. 1 receiver was also back in the lineup after\u00a0a one-game suspension for a spitting incident\u00a0with Steelers DB Jalen Ramsey in Week 11. Chase was his typically impactful self, especially so with his longtime QB (going back to their LSU days) throwing to him \u2212 to the tune of seven connections for a game-high 110 receiving yards.<\/p>\n
Just 6-5, they move back atop the AFC North from their couches anyway. But they’ll need to beat the Buffalo Bills by the confluence of the Three Rivers on Sunday to maintain sole possession of the lead.<\/p>\n
Cincinnati largely struggled in the red zone, but the Bengals’ kicker consistently mitigated the issue. “Money Mac” made all fix of his field-goal tries (and both extra points) on a night when he was hardly working in ideal conditions.<\/p>\n
The Ravens’ bruising back passed Jim Brown, the greatest running back in NFL history by most accounts, for 11th place on\u00a0the all-time rushing list\u00a0with his first-quarter touchdown run. Henry now has 12,354 career yards and has a decent shot to displace Tony Dorsett (12,739 yards) and enter the top 10 before the regular season concludes.<\/p>\n
\nDerrick Henry always hungry for touchdowns <\/p>\n
CINvsBAL on NBC
Stream on @NFLPlus<\/a> + Peacock pic.twitter.com\/tGQW41n0Lp<\/a><\/p>\n— NFL (@NFL) November 28, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n