CINCINNATI — WHO DEY!!! The NFL playoffs are here. The Cincinnati Bengals are in Sunday primetime mode as they face off with the Baltimore Ravens in the playoffs for the first time ever.
The Wild Card matchup comes just one week after the Bengals (12-4) hosted and pulled out a 27-16 victory against the Ravens (10-7) in their regular-season closer.
The Bengals were crowned kings of the AFC North for the second consecutive year and ranked No. 3 in the AFC as they begin the post-season on an eight-game winning streak.
If the Bengals beat Ravens, they'll head to Buffalo in the AFC Divisional Round to face the Bills.
The first half was a typical AFC North football game - a slow grind. The Bengals scored the first 9 points. The Ravens scored the last 10. A Ja'Marr Chase touchdown made the lead 9-0, but a missed Evan McPherson extra point has the Bengals behind. A Bengals fumble helped the Ravens to take the lead late in the first half on a Justin Tucker field goal. Injuries have also been part of the story for the Bengals, as they lost left tackle Jonah Williams.
Sacks have stalled the Bengals' offense, and Joe Burrow is now second all time for the most times sacked in his first five postseason games.
The Bengals bounced back on the team's first drive of the second half, scoring a touchdown and a 2-point conversion to take the lead 17-10.
On the very next drive, the Ravens used a few big plays to tie it up, capped off by a long touchdown pass, 17-17.
The Ravens had momentum, but a forced fumble at the 1-yard-line led to a 98-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown by Cincinnati's own Sam Hubbard, giving the Bengals the lead 24-17 for good.
Here's a recap of the game:
