Joe Burrow held to 35 total yards in first half vs. Ravens as Bengals offensive struggles continu
Eight teams, including the Cowboys, 49ers and Dolphins, are 2-0 following Sunday's games.
Dianna Russini, Jeff Howe and The Athletic NFL Staff
September 18, 2023 at 8:29 PM EDT
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Joe Burrow held to 35 total yards in first half vs. Ravens as Bengals’ offensive struggles continue
The Cincinnati Bengals’ offensive skid continued in the first half against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 2 on Sunday as the Ravens will enter the third quarter up 13-10. Here’s what you need to know:
- Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow, who posted the worst performance of his professional career last week against the Cleveland Browns, mustered just 35 yards on 8-of-11 passing. After signing a record contract extension, the 26-year-old went 14-of-31 passing for 82 yards and zero touchdowns in Week 1 before being pulled late in the fourth quarter in a loss to the Cleveland Browns.
- The Bengals’ 10 points Sunday came off an 81-yard punt return touchdown by WR Charlie Jones and an Evan McPherson field goal.
- Ravens QB Lamar Jackson went 16-of-24 for 141 yards passing and zero touchdowns; running back Gus Edwards rushed for a 1-yard TD midway through the first quarter.
GO FURTHER
Joe Burrow, Bengals start season 0-2 after slow first half vs. Ravens: Why a big win for Baltimore
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Special teams miscues have Ravens nursing 13-0 lead
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The Ravens did a lot of good things in the first half. They ran the ball well, were 3-of-7 on third down, controlled the ball for nearly 20 minutes and they held the Bengals to just 63 yards of total offense. However, they are nursing only a 13-10 lead, largely because of rare special teams breakdowns.
Justin Tucker missed a 59-yard field goal, which is certainly forgivable. However, the Ravens also allowed an 81-yard punt return touchdown to Charlie Jones, which is far less forgivable. That and the fact that the Ravens were called for two holding penalties on their two-minute drive before the end of the second quarter are primary reasons why their lead is a tenuous three points with Joe Burrow getting the ball to start the third quarter.
Colts lead Texans after impressive first-half showing on offense
The Colts lead the Texans 28-10 at halftime after scoring four offensive touchdowns, two of which were following drives led by their backup quarterback Gardner Minshew.
The Colts scored four TDs in an entire game just once last year. So it's safe to say new coach Shane Steichen has elevated this offense to a level rarely (if ever) seen last year.
First-half fantasy standouts
The first half of the 1 p.m. games had its share of fantasy standouts.
- Bills QB Josh Allen - He unsurprisingly has bounced back from his 9.04-point showing in Week 1 to rack up 14.18 points in the first half against the Raiders. That Allen did this despite gaining only .5 points on the ground shows that Buffalo’s pass game is back in top gear.
- Lions QB Jared Goff – He is on pace to throw for over 300 yards and four touchdowns if the first half is an indicator and that has led to Goff racking up 15.2 points so far.
- Buccaneers RB Rachaad White – He may have been on many trade blocks this past week after a 6.9-point total against Minnesota in Week 1, but White’s fantasy managers won’t be thinking of dealing him this week, as he has racked up 14.8 PPR points on 58 scrimmage yards and a rushing touchdown.
- Colts RB Zack Moss – He missed the Week 1 matchup against Jacksonville due to injury, but Moss has made up for it today with 70 scrimmage yards and a rushing touchdown against Houston. The resulting 16 PPR points will make Moss a high-priority waiver pick this week.
- Falcons WR Drake London – A goose egg last week made fantasy managers wonder if they made a draft day mistake in picking London. Today’s 13.9 PPR points in the first half will help reassure those managers that they made a good call.
Bills lead at half, but can they close?
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The Bills head to halftime with a 21-10 lead over the Raiders. Josh Allen is 18-for-21 for 142 yards and a touchdowns and zero turnovers.
At the end of the half, Allen threw a 15-yard touchdown to Khalil Shakir. He's been much sharper than he was last week against the Jets. This has been another strong day for Buffalo's defense. After the Raiders opened the scoring with a five-play, 75-yard touchdown drive, the Bills' defense allowed only 86 yards for the rest of the half. The Bills had a 10-point lead at halftime last week against the Jets and lost 22-16, so we'll see if they can put together a complete game and improve to 1-1.
Chiefs close frustrating half with go-ahead touchdown drive
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By most statistical measures, the Chiefs’ offense has a dismal first half against the Jaguars. The Chiefs, in their first four possessions, called just two designed running plays. The unit had a terrible third-and-inches play, another drive was disrupted near midfield by a holding penalty from left tackle Donovan Smith, receiver Justin Watson fumbled the ball near midfield and Mahomes, who was frustrated for much of the half, threw a deep pass into double coverage, leading to an interception by safety Andre Cisco.
And yet, the Chiefs still lead 7-6, after putting together their best drive to end the second quarter: a seven-play sequence where Mahomes guided his teammates 50 yards downfield, ending with his best pass of the half being his last, a 9-yard touchdown strike to receiver Skyy Moore.
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Shorthanded Packers lead Falcons at half
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The Packers lead the Falcons at halftime, 10-9, despite being without arguably their four best players on offense.
Left tackle David Bakhtiari, running back Aaron Jones and wide receiver Christian Watson were declared out before the game started and left guard Elgton Jenkins left midway through the second quarter with a knee injury. He has yet to be downgraded from questionable to out, but he wasn't seen on the sideline with the rest of the offensive linemen.
Jaire Alexander dropped what would've likely been a pick-six and the Packers settled for three points on the drive, and then the Falcons marched 75 yards in less than three minutes before Drake London beat Alexander on a stop route for a 3-yard TD catch with 12 seconds left in the first half. Green Bay's defense might need to come up with another takeaway or two to win this one.
Chargers' pass defense unable to maintain fast start
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The Chargers jumped out to an 11-0 lead behind an impressive response from their defense. They sacked Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill on each of the first three possessions of the game — linebacker Kenneth Murray on a fourth down, Joey Bosa on a third down and Morgan Fox on a third down. Justin Herbert capitalized off the third stop with a touchdown pass to Keenan Allen. It was a Herculean play. Herbert stayed upright after a hit to the head from Tennessee defensive lineman Jeffrey Simmons before finding Allen off his back foot. The Chargers defense could not keep up their level of play, however.
The pass defense was the issue in the Week 1 loss to the Dolphins, and that weakness popped up ion the very next Titans possession when Tannehill found receiver Treylon Burks over the top for a 70-yard gain. Asante Samuel Jr. was in coverage. Derrick Henry scored two plays later. Henry had 45 yards on nine attempts in the first half. Will the Titans lean more into attacking the Chargers’ pass defense in the second half?
Bears' offense sputters in first half vs. Bucs
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At halftime in Tampa Bay, the Bears trail 13-10. After two explosive plays from Justin Fields to DJ Moore on the opening drive, which led to an opening touchdown, the offense has otherwise sputtered. Fields has been sacked four times already, still holding onto the ball too long. Roschon Johnson’s 29-yard run helped set up a Cairo Santos field goal, but two sacks of Fields knocked them out of touchdown range.
On defense, the Bears are undermanned and still not getting to the quarterback. They have zero QB hits and one tackle for loss. They’ve also been on the field a lot, with the Bucs owning an eight-minute advantage in time of possession.
The Bears start the second half with the ball. We’ll see what adjustments offensive coordinator Luke Getsy has made, but the group still lacks consistency.
Titans' offense comes alive in late in first half
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The Titans had eight yards in their first three possessions and rolled up 135 and 10 points – including the season’s first touchdown – in the last two to make it 14-10 Chargers at the half.
The game-changer was Ryan Tannehill finding Treylon Burks on a deep shot for 70 yards, leading to a Derrick Henry 1-yard score. Those possessions also featured Dillon Radunz at left guard, in place of Xavier Newman. Newman started in place of first-round rookie Peter Skoronski (appendix) and struggled.
Seahawks' missed field goals leave Lions ahead by 7 at half
Seahawks kicker Jason Myers is 0-for-2 on field-goal attempts against the Lions today, after missing just three all of last season.
Myers' 56-yard miss at the close of the first half and his 45-yard attempt that went wide left earlier in the quarter means Detroit heads into the break up 14-7. The Lions also get the ball to start the second half.
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Chiefs-Jaguars defensive slugfest leading to low over/under betting odds
The Chiefs-Jaguars matchup came into Week 2 with one of the highest over/under marks in total points, but a 3-0 score with just under six minutes in the second quarter has led to this game now having 34.5-point over/under in live in-game betting at BetMGM.
That is currently the lowest over/under point total for any Week 2 game.
Anthony Richardson ruled out with concussion as Colts lead Texans
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson exited Sunday’s game against the Houston Texans in the second quarter and has been ruled out with a concussion. Here’s what you need to know:
- Richardson hit the back of his head while scoring his second rushing touchdown of the game and went to the locker room to be evaluated for a concussion.
- The rookie quarterback entered the blue medical tent in the early minutes of the second quarter and walked to the locker room under his own power. He was replaced by Gardner Minshew.
- The Colts held a 14-7 lead at the time of Richardson’s exit thanks to his two rushing scores and 56 passing yards on 6-of-10 passes.
The story will be updated here.
GO FURTHER
Anthony Richardson leaves game with concussion: What Colts can expect from Gardner Minshew
Raiders unable to find early room in run game
Josh Jacobs and the Raiders running game is generating absolutely nothing in the first half against the Bills.
The reigning NFL rushing leader and first-team All-Pro — who missed all of training camp while declining to sign the franchise tag before the two sides agreed to an amended one-year deal — has carried seven times for minus-6 yards. He's only gained yards on one of those seven carries — and that went for 2 yards. Every other carry has been for no gain or a loss.
Derrick Henry scores 1,000th TD in Titans history
Titans RB Derrick Henry punches it in for a score on the goal line for the 1,000th touchdown in franchise history.
Chargers still lead 11-7 in the second quarter. The TD was set up by a 70-yard reception from Treylon Burks. When in doubt, give it to King Henry to finish the drive.
Seahawks' DK Metcalf (ribs), Evan Brown (knee) return to game vs. Lions
DK Metcalf has returned for the Seahawks’ offense. Meanwhile, starting center Evan Brown was ruled questionable to return with a knee injury, with fifth-round rookie Olu Oluwatimi replacing him, but Brown has now returned.
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Chargers defense stumbles after fast start
The good times couldn't last forever apparently for the Chargers' defense. After holding the Titans to minus-16 passing yards through their first three possessions, the Chargers' maligned pass defense from Week 1 showed up again.
Tennessee WR Treylon Burks blew past Asante Samuel Jr. for a 70-yard completion to set up a Derrick Henry 1-yard touchdown run. The Chargers' Week 1 loss to the Dolphins was marked by numerous coverage breakdowns and despite a good first quarter, the pass defense issues arose again Sunday.
Colts backup QB Gardner Minshew engineers 76-yard TD drive
No Anthony Richardson, no problem (not really). But backup quarterback Gardner Minshew just led the Colts on a 76-yard touchdown drive, capped by an 11-yard run by Zack Moss, as the rookie QB is back in the locker room being evaluated for a concussion.
Minshew found reserve TE Will Mallory uncovered downfield for 43 yards to set up the touchdown that has the Colts ahead 21-7 with 9:43 to go in the half.
Lions break out the flea flicker
Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson opened his bag of tricks (again), with Jared Goff completing a flea flicker to Kalif Raymond for a 36-yard touchdown to help Detroit take a 14-7 lead against Seattle.
Goff is feeling it in the first half: He is 11-of-12 for 141 yards and two touchdowns.
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