SportsDirect Inc. staff
Nov 20, 2011
The Cincinnati Bengals' fourth-quarter rally fell short, and the Baltimore Ravens joined the Pittsburgh Steelers in a tie atop the AFC North standings with a 31-24 home win Sunday at M&T Bank Stadium.
The Ravens (7-3) were more balanced on offense than last week, with Ray Rice topping 100 yards rushing for the first time in five games. But the passing game carried most of the load, led by rookie Torrey Smith's six catches for 165 yards and a touchdown.
Smith's 165 yards are the third-most in Ravens history behind Qadry Ismail and Derrick Alexander, and his 590 receiving yards on the season broke Mark Clayton's franchise rookie record.
The Ravens have won seven in a row and 15 of 16 at home.
The Bengals (6-4) fell behind 31-14 on Joe Flacco's 38-yard touchdown to Smith with 14:02 left – their largest deficit of the season. They were able to pull within seven and drive into the red zone before the Ravens' pass rush forced three consecutive incomplete passes and a sack to seal the win.
Bengals rookie Andy Dalton threw three interceptions and has five in his last five quarters.
Baltimore's Ed Reed had one of those interceptions, the ninth of his career against the Bengals and his most against any team.
Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis (toe) missed the game, snapping a streak of 57 consecutive games played.