SportsDirect Inc. staff
Sep 10, 2012
Ravens 44, Bengals 13: Joe Flacco tossed a pair of touchdown passes and Ray Rice rushed for two more as Baltimore extended its home winning streak to 12 by trouncing its AFC North rival.
Anquan Boldin had a 34-yard touchdown reception and tight end Dennis Pitta added a 10-yard scoring strike en route to a career-high 73 yards receiving. Safety Ed Reed converted his 58th career interception into a 34-yard score for the Ravens, who have also won 20 of their last 21 - including postseason games - at M&T Bank Stadium.
Baltimore set an NFL record by becoming the fifth team to score 40 or more points in the opening week of the season.
Flacco completed 21 of 29 passes for 299 yards - with a team-high five receptions going to Pitta.
After rookie Justin Tucker kicked the first of his three field goals on the team's first possession, the Ravens continued to keep the pressure on the Bengals. Rice converted a fourth-and-1 with a 2-yard catch before scampering 7 yards for a score to cap a 12-play, 63-yard drive.
Baltimore answered Mike Nugent's 34-yard field goal to start the second quarter as Flacco found a streaking Boldin down the middle for a 34-yard touchdown only 2 1/2 minutes later. The scoring strike completed a five-play, 82-yard drive and gave the Ravens a 17-3 advantage.
Cincinnati made a game of it as BenJarvus Green-Ellis converted a fourth-and-1 with a 6-yard touchdown run to cut the deficit to 17-10.
Baltimore countered Nugent's 19-yard field goal on Cincinnati's first possession of the second half by scoring the game's next 27 points, beginning with Pitta's 10-yard touchdown reception. Flacco lofted it toward Pitta, who used his 6-foot-4 frame to shield cornerback Leon Hall and come down with the ball.
The Ravens effectively put the game away after Reed followed Tucker's second field goal by stepping in front of Andy Dalton's ill-advised pass before scampering down the sideline. Reed has 10 career interceptions versus the Bengals.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Prior to the game, a moment of silence was observed for former Ravens owner Art Modell, who died at 87 on Thursday morning. Baltimore players wore a decal on their helmets in honor of Modell. ... Reed set the NFL record for interception return yards with 1,496, moving past Hall of Famer Rod Woodson. ... Cincinnati wide receiver Andrew Hawkins had a game-high eight catches for 86 yards. ... The Ravens defeated the Bengals in both meetings last season, winning 31-24 at home and recording a 24-16 triumph in Week 17. ... Tucker won the starting kicking job after the release of Billy Cundiff, who missed a potential game-tying field goal in the waning moments of last season's AFC Championship Game. Cundiff is now with the Washington Redskins.