QB Joe Burrow outduels Lamar Jackson as Bengals crush Ravens, 41-14, in key AFC North division battle

BALTIMORE — Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow passed for a career-high 416 yards, rookie wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase finished with a career-high 201, and the Bengals rolled over the Ravens, 41-17, in a battle of the AFC North’s top teams.

Cincinnati’s rout inside M&T Bank Stadium ended a five-game losing streak in which the Ravens had dominated their division rival. The Ravens (5-2), who were vying for the best start in franchise history and a sixth straight win, will enter their Week 8 bye tied with the Bengals (5-2) atop the AFC North.

In just their second career matchup, Burrow (23-for-38 for three touchdowns and an interception) outdueled quarterback Lamar Jackson, who finished 15-for-31 for 257 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Jackson also had 12 carries for 88 yards, but running backs Devonta Freeman, Le’Veon Bell and Ty’Son Williams combined for just 29 yards on 11 carries.

The Bengals, who entered Week 7 with an explosive but inconsistent offense — Football Outsiders rated the unit 19th overall in efficiency — finished with a season-high 520 yards of total offense. Before replacing Burrow in the fourth quarter, they scored a touchdown on five of seven drives, the lone exceptions being a field goal at the end of the first half and a red-zone interception by cornerback Marlon Humphrey.

It was not a good day for Humphrey or the Ravens’ secondary. Chase’s 82-yard catch-and-run score in the third quarter gave the Bengals their first double-digit lead Sunday, and it came against Humphrey in coverage.

Earlier, Humphrey had lost contact with tight end C.J. Uzomah on a downfield route, then missed on an open-field tackle attempt. Uzomah, who scored from 52 yards on the second-quarter catch, added another score a quarter later, breaking a tackle attempt from safety DeShon Elliott on a 32-yard touchdown.

The Bengals, who struggled to run for much of the afternoon, punctuated their blowout with two rushing touchdowns. Running back Joe Mixon’s 21-yard score gave the Bengals a 34-17 lead in the fourth quarter, and running back Samaje Perine stiff-armed cornerback Anthony Averett on his way to a 46-yard score less than 90 seconds later.

The Ravens again struggled on third down Sunday, going 5-for-16, and converted just one of four fourth-down opportunities. Costly penalties hurt them on offense and defense, including a holding penalty on left tackle Alejandro Villanueva that wiped out a 39-yard scramble by Jackson when the Ravens trailed 27-17 late in the third quarter.

Wide receiver Marquise “Hollywood” Brown had five catches for 80 yards and a touchdown, including a 39-yard score that gave the Ravens a 17-13 lead just minutes into the third quarter. Rookie wide receiver Rashod Bateman added three catches for 80 yards, and tight end Mark Andrews had three receptions for 48 yards.

The Ravens finished with just one sack. The Bengals had five.