Lamar Jackson, Ravens AFC North Thriller Over Bengals

BALTIMORE -- The Ravens were in a predicament Thursday night against the Cincinnati Bengals, facing a 14-point deficit in the second half with a struggling defense.

So what gave them any hope of a comeback? Lamar Jackson is playing his best football ever.

Jackson produced the best fourth quarter of his career, leading the Ravens to a 35-34 victory. In recording a perfect 158.3 passer rating in the fourth quarter, he threw for 197 yards and three touchdowns -- both personal highs in the fourth quarter -- to record a season sweep of the Bengals and save the NFL's worst pass defense again.

It didn't matter that the Ravens defense allowed 470 yards and five touchdowns. There was always a belief that Jackson was going to lead Baltimore to victory.

The Bengals (4-6) led 21-7 midway through the third quarter when Baltimore (7-3) created a huge break to get back into the game.

Joe Burrow found Ja'Marr Chase for a 5-yard touchdown pass in the final minute. Cincinnati's 2-point attempt for the potential winning points failed when a Burrow pass for tight end Tanner Hudson sailed a high.

Jackson threw touchdown passes of 84 yards to Tylan Wallace and 18 yards to Mark Andrews before connecting with Rashod Bateman for the winning, 5-yard score with 1:49 left.

Get our free mobile app

The Ravens scored 28 points in the second half, the most by any team in a second half this season.

The Ravens are 7-3 with the NFL's No. 1 offense (440.2 yards per game) and the league's No. 27 defense (367.9).

LOOK: The story behind every NFL team name

Stacker delved into the story behind every NFL football team name. Overall team records, also included, are reflective of NFL regular-season games. There are some football teams with well-known nicknames—the Jets, for instance, are often referred to as Gang Green—but we also divulge how some teams’ official names are sparingly used (the Jets’ neighbors, the Giants, are actually known as the New York Football Giants). Sometimes a team name can tell you a lot about local history: The Vikings of Minnesota draw upon the area’s strong ties to Scandinavia, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are dripping in local legend related to Florida’s pirate past.

Let’s kick off the countdown with the folks who earned their nickname by buying boxes of used team jerseys.

Gallery Credit: Seth Berkman