The Cincinnati Bengals came out of the gates aggressively, setting the tone with an impressive opening drive that culminated in a touchdown. Following the opening kickoff, Cincinnati powered through a 70-yard drive across 12 plays, capping it off with a one-yard scoring run from Chase Brown.
Throughout the drive, the Bengals demonstrated resilience and precision, converting on two of their three third-down attempts. Even when they missed one, they didn’t hesitate. On fourth down, a missed connection from Joe Burrow to Chase Brown could have stalled the drive, but Ravens defensive back Brandon Stephens was flagged for defensive holding. The penalty gave the Bengals a fresh set of downs at the Ravens’ one-yard line, allowing Brown to punch it in on the next play.
Burrow looked sharp, completing 5 of 8 passes for 61 yards, with Ja’Marr Chase accounting for two catches and 32 yards. The efficient offense seemed to catch the Ravens off guard, as they burned two timeouts during the Bengals’ drive—one of which came after an unsuccessful challenge that would have barely adjusted field position, and another when they accidentally fielded 12 players.
The Ravens, hoping to respond, struggled on their first possession and quickly went three-and-out, handing the ball back to the Bengals with momentum firmly in Cincinnati’s favor.
With this opening statement, the Bengals showed they’re ready to take control early, setting up what promises to be an intense matchup.