Crows against the Bengals 2018: Cincinnati wins the tilt on Thursday night, 34-23

The Cincinnati Bengals are leading in the AFC North after defeating the Baltimore Ravens in an ugly Thursday night game, 34-23. Both Andy Dalton and Joe Flacco have had tough times, but Dalton had a better game with four touchdowns and no choice, while Flacco made two choices and lost a fumble on two touchdowns.

The Bengals quickly took the lead when Dalton found A.J. Green on three consecutive touchdowns. The Ravens were very slow to start, Joe Flacco having intercepted quickly and won big chunks of land due to endless calls. The two Baltimore touchdowns in the first half came after end-of-run zone interference calls were made.

The biggest advance of the match was 21 points for the Bengals, who were essentially non-existent in the third quarter and barely better in the fourth. They set up a goal practice at the end of the fourth inning, an attack that killed several minutes. That made an 8-point game with just under three minutes to go. A fumble from Flacco sealed the game after Cincinnati kicked for an 11-point game.

Dalton completed 24 of 42 passes for 265 yards and four touchdowns. Green had five passes for 69 yards and three touchdowns, while Joe Mixon had 84 yards on the ground. Flacco completed 32 of 55 passes for 376 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions, while losing a fumble.

Below, the live blog of Thursday night, in the reverse order.

Bengals 34, Ravens 23, FINAL: Baltimore gets a quick 15 yards after a passing penalty. Flacco then launches two incomplete passes and Dr. Kirkpatrick is injured for the Bengals. Flacco hits Allen for a 7-yard gain and they have a 4th and 3rd at the two-minute warning. They convert the fourth, then take another first, but the time ends. Flacco goes deep into the end zone, but it is incomplete. Flacco finds Snead for a 9-yard scoop, then Williams for the first. They time it. Short completion, and they re-time it with 8 seconds to go. Another passage, this one to Snead for 12 meters, and the time allotted.

Bengals 34, Ravens 23, 2:29, 4Q: Two innings are only 3 yards for the Bengals, with the Ravens scoring two fouls. On the 3rd and 7th, Mixon takes a few meters, but does not win the first. However, it facilitates the goal attempt on the ground. The 40-yard effort is good and the Bengals have an 11-point lead.

Bengals 31, Ravens 23, 2:52, 4Q: Two incomplete passes for Flacco, then rolling, he has a forced fumble, and Cincinnati is recovering! If they can kill a clock, this one is over!

Bengals 31, Ravens 23, 3:44, 4Q: The Bengals recover the ball and Mixon is back after being injured. It's 6 yards, then gets out with a noticeable limp. The Bengals start an incomplete match in third place, but Young is called to the defense. New series of descents for Cincinnati, then another after a 12-yard pass to Uzomah. Mixon returns and picks up 5 yards, then Green picks up 8 on a Dalton pass. Then Mixon runs 21 yards after reversing the direction. They then lose distance on two running games, but eventually reach Baltimore's 10-yard line, setting a goal opportunity on the court. It's almost stuck, but it's an 8-point game.

Bengals 28, Ravens 23, 9:35, 4Q: Dalton finds Green for 18 yards, then Eifert for 7 yards. Bernard's race lasts only 1 meter and the third quarter ends. On 3 and 2, Dalton throws an incomplete pass to Boyd, wide and wide on the play. Flacco misses a wide Boyle center in the center. He hits Brown for 17 yards and a first run, then hits Snead for another first run. He hits Crabtree, then rushes for a first and third. Falcco then finds Brown for a touchdown after a false start penalty – a 21-yard touchdown. They then convert to two points for a three-point game, but do not get it.

Bengals 28, Ravens 17, 2:00, 3Q: Bernard's two games go for the first few tries, but the race stalls from there, just outside the scope of the goal. They jump and the Ravens take over at their own 9-yard line. Flacco strikes Crabtree for 7 yards, then Boyle for 17 yards. He was almost sacked in a second game, but he managed to get rid of Allen, who recovers first. Flacco gets hit as he launches his next pass, and he's intercepted by Williams!

Bengals 28, Ravens 17, 6:35, 3 Q: The Ravens recover the ball and a short pass to Collins goes again for a gain of 24 yards. Two small games and an incomplete pass later, and the Ravens were facing a 4th and 2nd. They leave the crime on the ground and go from the front. Flacco is short on Allen, who can not go far enough. The Bengals on their own line of 43 yards!

Bengals 28, Ravens 17, 9:10 3Q: It's a very short course for the Ravens, but a run that ends with a 55-yard goal from Justin Tucker, slightly reducing the gap. Cincinnati recovers the ball on his own 24-yard line. Mixon gets 7 yards on a course, then a pass to Kroft gets the first goal. Young blew Mixon into the backfield for a 2-yard loss and a false start leads to a 3rd and 12th. Dalton's pass is almost intercepted by Humphrey, but Boyd pushes him away. Huber passes to Baltimore's 21-yard line.

Bengals 28, Ravens 14, 13:44, 3Q: The Bengals receive the kickoff of the second half, but they do not get much out of it. A couple of incomplete passes and a hold penalty lead to a Bengal kick. Baltimore will assume his own 35-yard line.

Bengals 28, Ravens 14, END 2Q: Crows get the ball and pick up a quick first shot. After a two-minute warning, Flacco hit Snead for 19 yards. But two incomplete passes from Flacco later, from the Cincinnati territory, they take on fourth place, but the Bengals hold on with another incomplete pass from Flacco. Three incomplete passes from Dalton followed, causing a Bengal kick, with the Ravens picking up the ball with 1:08 to play.

Flacco throws deep into Brown and is far from over. The Cincinnati defender abandoned him. Flacco then hits Collins for a short pass and Collins makes him look good by scooping 22 yards. Then he finds Crabtree for a 17-yard gain. Flacco goes deep to Brown in the end zone, but he is upset aaaand … another very low pass interference on Cincinnati, so Baltimore gets a first run down the 1 meter line. No win in the race, then an incomplete pass. Third, Flacco finds Andrews for a touchdown. The extra point makes it a 14-point match.

Bengals 28, Ravens 7, 2:58, 2Q: Cincinnati recovers the ball and a quick rough tackle the smuggler penalty, putting them on their own 37-yard line. He then finds Boyd for a 22-yard reception in Baltimore territory. They then save after an offensive possession penalty. Then, an illegal quarter penalty hurts them, and they are at the 1st and the goal of the 14 yard line. And it's only a 14-yard touchdown by Boyd for an even bigger lead on the Bengals.

Bengals 21, Ravens 7, 8:20, 2Q: Flacco throws incomplete balls, then a ball in the pass to Brown passes 9 yards. They run Flacco in the middle for a first run. They lose 7 yards per race, but Flacco hits Brown for 45 yards and the Ravens show a bit of life! They get a boost when Flacco fails to reach Andrews, but officials call Dennard for past interference, although it seemed like a weak call. Anyway, Ravens run with Allen and take the 1-yard attack to get on the board.

Bengals 21, Ravens 0, 13:02 2QCincinnati was in the first quarter and the Bengals outscored the Ravens by 141 passing yards to 27, while racking up nine first tries against one for Baltimore. Production overflowed in the second quarter, when Andy Dalton finished his training with his third touchdown pass of the night, all at A.J. Vert.

Bengals 14, Ravens 0, 6:26, 1Q: False start to start the race for the Ravens, but a 16-yard reception by Crabtree gives them a first run. Flacco was then sacked for 11 yards, and a 14-yard run from Collins was not enough to move the sticks. An incomplete pass sealed her and Koch looked for a touchdown.

The ensuing Bengals run includes a 29-yard fast reception for Uzomah and an 8-yard run from Bernard. Then again, Dalton finds Green for a touchdown, this one for 32 yards. Do the Bills suck so much?

Bengals 7, Ravens 0, 10:35, 1Q: After Dalton's incompleteness, they collect 4 yards on a Mixon course, then Dalton tries to reach Eifert in the end zone. This is incomplete, but Baltimore faces an interference penalty, giving the Bengals a new set of points against the 1-meter line. They lose some distance on a racing game, but Dalton finds A.J. Green in the next game for a touchdown. The Bengals lead!

Ravens 0, Bengals 0, 12:13, 1Q: Joe Flacco officially arrived – causing a terrible interception of driving that ensued. No, really terrible. He overturns his receiver well covered by about 5 meters. Then Andy Dalton came out and made a choice, but the piece was received and found to be incomplete.

Ravens 0, Bengals 0, 12:37 1Q: The first part of the game is fast, with Flacco launching incomplete throws, then a Collins run of less than 4 yards, then a bag on Flacco for a 3-out. The Bengals will take over on their own 31-yard line. The Bengals do not do much better, with a loss of 1 yard followed by a pair of incompletions. The Bengals are called to stumble and the penalty is denied – another 3-out.

8:20 p.m.: Our live blog will start with the highlights and soon after the launch of it!

The Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals both came out of the first week with victories, although the former team was much more impressive than the latter. The Bengals will try to avoid the fate of the Buffalo Bills when they face Baltimore at home. Thursday night football, from 20:20 ET on the NFL network (live streaming via FuboTV, NFL).

The Ravens destroyed the Bills, 47-3, and Joe Flacco completed 25 of his 34 passes for 236 yards and three touchdowns and the team accumulated 117 yards in total. They also captured two interceptions of Nathan Peterman.

Cincinnati played a much tighter game against the Indianapolis Colts, but eventually won a comfortable 34-23 victory in Week 1. Andy Dalton racked up 243 yards and two touchdowns, but also intercepted. Joe Mixon was excellent, with 95 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries.

Last season, AFC North rivals Bengals and Ravens shared their season, each losing at home – in Cincinnati during Week 1 and Baltimore in Week 17.

• Time: ET20:20
• Location: Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati
• TV: NFL Network
• Diffusion: FuboTV, NFL
• odds: Baltimore opened as 3-point favorites, but some books have this one in the money.

• In the Ravens' latest injury report, they ruled out four players: CB Maurice Canady, RB Kenneth Dixon, DT Willie Henry and TE Hayden Hurst, while WR Janarion Grant was declared questionable with a hand injury.
• Speaking of Dixon, the 2016 fourth-round pick was placed on an injured reserve, perhaps putting an end to his spell with the Ravens after several seasons full of injuries. The team promoted UDFA De'Lance Turner on the active list in a matching move.
• For the Bengals, linebacker Preston Brown is questionable with an ankle injury. He has played every game of his career so far.
• Anthony Munoz, Sam Wyche and other former players will be attending the Super Bowl Anniversary in 1988.
• As Cincy Jungle points out, Thursday's game is huge for AFC North, with both teams winning the first week and the other two in the division fighting for a tie.
• Baltimore Beatdown players have recorded their last five games for Thursday's game. At Cincy Jungle, they have their own set of four games to watch.

Of the seven experts who chose Week 2 games for SB Nation, six of them think the Ravens will win, with Adam Stites being the only one to stay with Cincinnati. The flip of coins and the OddsShark computer also landed on Baltimore.