BALTIMORE (AP) — Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens shook off their fourth-quarter woes in a big way.
Over half of Baltimore's total yards — and 21 of its 35 points — came in the final period Thursday night as the Ravens rallied to beat Cincinnati 35-34. Baltimore trailed by 14 points in the third, which was a rare type of deficit for this team but clearly a surmountable one.
“It’s huge,” tight end Mark Andrews said. “A lot of teams can kind of go in the tank and shut it down when things aren’t going our way, and we fought an uphill battle for most of the game. Again, just the belief and the fight and the resiliency that the guys had throughout four quarters and just understanding that we have no quit.”
The Ravens (7-3) are very hard to outplay by any considerable margin. They hadn't trailed by 14 points with Jackson healthy and playing since Nov. 7, 2021, in a game against Minnesota.
The bigger issue has been closing out games. Before facing Cincinnati, Baltimore had been outscored 93-61 in the fourth quarter. The Ravens blew a 10-point lead to the Raiders, nearly squandered a bigger advantage at Dallas and gave up three fourth-quarter touchdowns in a win at Tampa Bay.
On Thursday, they outscored the Bengals 21-13 in the fourth and gained 231 yards in the quarter.
It was another sensational game for Jackson, who threw for 290 yards and four touchdowns. He has an NFL-high passer rating of 123.2, a touchdown/interception ratio of 24 to 2 and a league-best average of 9.3 yards per attempt. And that's before his running production is taken into account.
A third MVP award is very much in play.
The secondary was run ragged again — and lost star safety Kyle Hamilton to an ankle injury. Ja'Marr Chase had 11 catches for 264 yards and three touchdowns for Cincinnati. Chase has given the Ravens fits his whole career, and the absence of injured Bengals receiver Tee Higgins didn't help Baltimore much.
Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey had quite a bit to say after the game.
“These wins are getting harder to enjoy based off of what we’re doing in the pass defense,” he said. “Something has got to change. We’ve just got to play better. I’ve got to play better. We’ve all got to play better. We’ve got to play as a unit, and we’re just not doing that. Really nothing really more to say. We’ve got to keep working.”
Although Joe Burrow threw for 428 yards and four TDs, the Ravens got a decent amount of pressure on him. Nnamdi Madubuike had three sacks after having only two previously on the season.
“Feels good,” Madubuike said. “This year is definitely more double teams and stuff like that, and I could easily fall into the frustration bucket, but I chose to just stay poised, stay focused."
For much of the game, Baltimore's top-ranked offense looked out of sorts. Penalties were an issue, and the Ravens went three-and-out on four of their first six possessions.
Baltimore was also held under 100 yards rushing for the first time in 43 games. Derrick Henry had only 68 yards on 16 carries, and the Bengals had 75 total plays to the Ravens' 58.
Hamilton sprained an ankle and didn't return. Running back Keaton Mitchell was active for the first time since injuring his knee in December, and he had a 30-yard kickoff return.
98 — The total yards receiving for Tylan Wallace in his 3 1/2-year career before he had 115 on Thursday. Wallace turned a short pass into an 84-yard touchdown in the fourth.
The Ravens have a little extra time off before playing at AFC North-leading Pittsburgh on Nov. 17. Baltimore won the division last year despite being swept by the Steelers.
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Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Tylan Wallace (16) scores a touchdown during the second half of an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) walks from the field after an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024, in Baltimore. The Ravens won 35-34. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) celebrates scoring a two-point conversion during the second half of an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
LAS VEGAS (AP) — The person inside the Tesla Cybertruck that burst into flames outside President-elect Donald Trump’s Las Vegas hotel suffered a gunshot to the head before the explosion, officials said Thursday.
Clark County Sheriff Kevin McMahill said at a news conference that a handgun was found at the feet of the man who's been identified as Matthew Livelsberger. Officials believe the shot was self-inflicted.
Livelsberger served in the Green Berets, highly trained special forces who work to counter terrorism abroad and train partners, the Army said in a statement. He had served in the Army since 2006, rising through the ranks with a long career of overseas assignments, deploying twice to Afghanistan and serving in Ukraine, Tajikistan, Georgia and Congo, the Army said.
He was awarded two Bronze Stars, including one with a valor device for courage under fire, a combat infantry badge and an Army Commendation Medal with valor. Livelsberger was on approved leave when he died, according to the statement.
The FBI said Thursday in a post on X that it was “conducting law enforcement activity” at a home in Colorado Springs related to Wednesday's explosion but provided no other details.
The explosion of the truck, packed with firework mortars and camp fuel canisters, came hours after 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Bahar Jabbar rammed a truck into a crowd in New Orleans’ famed French Quarter early on New Year’s Day, killing at least 15 people before being shot to death by police. That crash was being investigated as a terrorist attack. The FBI said Thursday that they believe Jabbar acted alone, reversing its position from a day earlier that he likely worked with others.
Both Livelsberger and Jabbar spent time at the base formerly known as Fort Bragg, a massive Army base in North Carolina that is home to multiple Army special operations units. However, one of the officials who spoke to the AP said there is no overlap in their assignments at the base, now called Fort Liberty.
Chris Raia, FBI deputy assistant director, said Thursday that officials have found ‘no definitive link’ between the New Orleans attack and the truck explosion in Las Vegas.
Seven people nearby suffered minor injuries when the Tesla truck exploded. Video showed a tumble of charred fireworks mortars, canisters and other explosive devices crowded into the back of the pickup. The truck bed walls were still intact because the blast shot straight up rather than to the sides.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk said Wednesday afternoon on X that “we have now confirmed that the explosion was caused by very large fireworks and/or a bomb carried in the bed of the rented Cybertruck and is unrelated to the vehicle itself."
"All vehicle telemetry was positive at the time of the explosion,” Musk wrote.
Musk has recently become a member of Trump’s inner circle. Neither Trump nor Musk was in Las Vegas early Wednesday. Both had attended Trump’s New Year’s Eve party at his South Florida estate.
Authorities know who rented the truck with the Turo app in Colorado, Kevin McMahill, the elected sheriff of Clark County, which includes Las Vegas, said Wednesday. He did not release the person’s ID, however.
Copp, Richer and Long contributed from Washington.
Investigators enter a townhouse in northeastern Colorado Springs, Colo., Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025, as the investigation connected to the explosion of a Tesla Cybertruck outside President-elect Donald Trump's Las Vegas hotel continues. (Christian Murdock/The Gazette via AP)
Investigators stand outside a townhouse complex in northeastern Colorado Springs, Colo., Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025, as the investigation connected to the explosion of a Tesla Cybertruck outside President-elect Donald Trump's Las Vegas hotel continues. (Christian Murdock/The Gazette via AP)
Police block the area after a vehicle caught fire and exploded outside the lobby of President-elect Donald Trump's hotel Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Ty ONeil)
Police block the area after a vehicle caught fire and exploded outside the lobby of President-elect Donald Trump's hotel Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Ty ONeil)
Police block the area after a vehicle caught fire and exploded outside the lobby of President-elect Donald Trump's hotel Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Ty ONeil)
Police block the area after a vehicle caught fire and exploded outside the lobby of President-elect Donald Trump's hotel Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Ty ONeil)
