SportsDirect Inc. staff
Dec 29, 2013
Bengals 34, Ravens 17: Andy Dalton overcame a career-high four interceptions by throwing for two touchdowns and rushing for another as host Cincinnati dominated defensively to help knock the defending Super Bowl champs out of playoff contention.
Dalton was 21-of-36 for 281 yards for the Bengals (11-5), who claimed the No. 3 seed in the AFC. A.J. Green and Marvin Jones both had 61 receiving yards and a touchdown as Cincinnati finished 8-0 at home.
Joe Flacco was 30-of-50 for 192 yards with a touchdown and three interceptions - one of which was returned by Dre Kirkpatrick for the clinching score. Baltimore (8-8) was outgained 392-222 in losing its second straight contest following a four-game winning streak that had given it temporary control of its playoff situation.
Dalton's third interception led to a third field goal by Justin Tucker less than six minutes into the second half, and a bad punt set up Flacco's 8-yard touchdown pass to Marlon Brown, which was followed by Ray Rice's 2-point conversion that tied it at 17-17. Dalton was 5-of-6 on a 90-yard drive, capped by his own 1-yard scoring run, and Flacco's first interception moments later set up Mike Nugent's 38-yard field goal that made it 27-17 with 12:19 to go.
Dalton threw interceptions on his first two possessions, leading to a pair of field goals by Tucker and an early 6-0 lead for the Ravens. The Bengals erased the deficit on one big play as Dalton found Green behind the secondary for a 53-yard touchdown, and Jones made a spectacular juggling grab for a 16-yard score to make it 17-6 at the break.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Dalton established team records in passing yards (4,296) and touchdowns (33) in a single season. ... Ravens S James Ihedigbo reeled in his third interception of the season, all of which came against Dalton. ... Green (260) broke Anquan Boldin's NFL mark for the most catches in the first three seasons of a career, finishing 2013 with a career-high 98.