Bengals-Ravens Week 9: Live Notes and Updates From The First Half

Today the 5-2 Cincinnati Bengals host the 4-3 Baltimore Ravens at Paul Brown Stadium. After a 17-14 win for the Bengals in Week 5, the Ravens are looking for revenge and hope to get closer to the Bengals and Steelers in the AFC North standings.

With one of the most intense matchups in Week 9, here are live notes and updates from the first half between the Bengals and Ravens.

14:53—Wide receiver Andre Caldwell starts the game off with a 16-yard return to the 27-yard line.

13:45—Brian Leonard shows us why Marvin Lewis loves to use him on 3rd down as he finds him for five yards to get the first down.

13:15—Cedric Benson gets his first big-run of the game as he breaks for 12 yards to enter Ravens territory.

11:43—Ravens cornerback was applying the pressure to Palmer, who nearly found wide receiver Laveranues Coles on the sideline. Unfortunately, he caught the ball out of bounds, ruining the Bengals chances of a 3rd-and-short situation.

11:25—Palmer finds wide receiver Ochocinco for the first time as he catches the ball about two yards shy of the first down but fights for the extra yardage to give the Bengals a 1st-and-10. He did say the reason why he sent the Ravens defenders deodarant this week was because he made them sweat.

10:00—Benson finds a huge hole up the middle and breaks for a 21-yard gain to get inside the Baltimore ten-yard line. With that run, Benson has already surpassed his total rushing yards from last season.

8:55—Palmer finds Caldwell in the end zone for a six-yard touchdown, his third touchdown of the season. The Bengals could not have asked for a better opening drive, taking over six minutes off the clock on 12 plays. Bengals lead 7-0.

8:48—Ravens cornerback Ladarius Webb returns the kickoff to the Baltimore 36 after a few spins to avoid Bengals defenders. Let's see how quarterback Joe Flacco and the rest of the Ravens offense can respond down 7-0.

8:43—On the Ravens first offensive play of the day, running back Ray Rice is stopped for a loss of two yards by defensive tackle Tank Johnson. Great start for the Bengals defense.

8:11—Flacco's streak of 14 straight completions, which is a Ravens record, comes to an end early in the game on an incomplete deep pass to wide receiver Derrick Mason.

7:16—Bengals cornerback Leon Hall nearly picks off Flacco on 3rd-and-3, but can't hold on to the ball. The Ravens have no choice but to punt the ball, giving the Bengals the ball back with a 7-0 lead.

6:47—The Ravens show us why they lead the league in penalty yards entering this game. After a 25-yard catch by Ochocinco, Dawan Landry forced a fumble that was recoverd by the Ravens. However, Landry was penalized for a pass interference call, giving the Bengals a second chance on the drive.

6:07—Once again, Palmer uses his legs to help the Bengals gain a first down on a 3rd-and-6. Unfortunately, two penalty calls that offset will cause a replay of the down.

6:00—Ochocinco makes an unbelievable grab between two Ravens defenders for a 17-yard gain and a first down at the Baltimore 47. The very next possession, he dives for another catch for an eight-yard gain, his fourth of the first quarter. This could be another big day for No. 85.

4:31—After an incomplete pass to J.P. Foschi on 3rd-and-2, the Bengals decide to go for it on fourth down. Palmer throws it deep down the right side of the field for Ochocinco, but Fabian Washington is called for the pass interference, giving the Bengals the ball at the Ravens' 15-yard line. What a huge play for the Bengals on fourth down.

3:35—The Bengals pull the reverse and hand the ball off to Coles. Instead of facing a 3rd-and-short, Coles breaks a tackle from Ed Reed and runs to the Ravens' two-yard line before getting pushed out of bounds. This Bengals offense is taking complete control of the Ravens defense in the first quarter.

2:23—Benson runs up the middle for the one-yard touchdown, his sixth of the season. On the first two drives of the game, the Bengals are able to find the end zone, increasing their lead to 14-0.

2:17—The Ravens will start from inside their own ten after a holding penalty on the kickoff. On the first posession of the drive, Flacco finds Clayton down the right side of the field for a 15-yard gain.

1:15—Flacco is forced to use the Ravens second timeout of the half on a 3rd-and-5. With the way the Bengals offense is playing, the Ravens offense needs to convert on this down more than anything to get back into this game.

1:08—Flacco finds Rice for the short pass, but he is tackled a yard shy of the first down. Once again, the Ravens are forced to punt.

0:37—The Ravens catch a huge break when Bengals linebacker Brandon Johnson is called for the offside penalty on 4th-and-1, giving them a first down and a second chance on the drive. It should be interesting to see if they can take advantage of the penalty and cut the Bengals lead down.

Second Quarter

14:54—On a 3rd-and-8, Flacco is forced to throw the ball away out of bounds. So much for taking advantage of the second chance given on the drive. Once again, the Ravens are forced to punt.

14:43—Wide receiver Chris Henry hauls in his first reception of the day for 20 yards on the Bengals first play of the drive. Unfortunately, he is slow to get up and may be injured. He was carted off the field with an air cast on his arm. Hopefully he is alright.

12:43—On a 3rd-and-10, Palmer finds Coles for a 14-yard gain and a first down. The Bengals now have converted three of five third-down conversions.

11:36—Once again, Palmer uses his feet to run for the first down as he scrambles to the Baltimore 29 for a 10-yard gain. Once again, the Bengals offense is dominating the Ravens defense.

10:03—J.P Foschi hauls in a pass from Palmer and breaks a couple of tackles for a 20-yard gain. Once again, the Bengals find themselves in the Ravens' red zone.

7:50—Coles makes a nice one handed grab on a pass from Palmer. Unfortunately, he was out of the end zone and the Bengals have to settle for a field goal from Shayne Graham, increasing their lead to 17-0.

7:30—Flacco has all of the time in the world to pass, but nobody seems to be open. Instead, he has to settle for a quick pass to Le'Ron McClain for five yards.

6:13—Once again, Flacco struggles to find a wide receiver open enough for a first down. He finds Heap on 3rd-and-5, but the Ravens are still two yards shy of the first down. Once again, they're forced to punt for the third time this game.

4:52—Foschi is wide open on the right side of the field and hauls in another pass from Palmer for a 12-yard gain. So far, he has two receptions for 32 yards.

4:17—Another solid run by Benson, who gains 15 yards for another first down. He already has 73 yards on the ground, which is not a good sign for the Ravens defense. This shows how much the Bengals offensive line is dominating the Ravens defensive line.

3:04—Here's a fun fact for Bengals fans: Before this punt, the Bengals managed to score on 10 straight drives with Palmer under center. Thank you, CBS for that.

2:52—Flacco goes deep on the Ravens first possession of the drive and is picked off by Hall, his fourth interception of the season. The Ravens were desperate for a score before halftime to at least make it a two-possession game. Instead, the Bengals receive another chance to increase their lead before the half ends.

1:59—The Bengals fail to take advantage of the Ravens turnover and are forced to punt. Lucky for them, rookie lineback Maualuga downs the ball at the Ravens 1, which means the Ravens will most likely just run the clock out for safety precautions. With this field position, they can't afford another turnover.

As the first half comes to an end, the Bengals lead the Ravens 17-0 and have been nothing short of dominant. Here are a few quick notes from the first half:

• The Bengals already have 235 yards on offense, including 80 yards on the ground from running back Cedric Benson. The Ravens only have 44 yards on offense.
• The Bengals had the ball for 21:34 of the 30 minutes played in the first half. They are using the time of possession to wear down the Ravens defense and it's been working.
  
• The Ravens failed to convert a third-down conversion while the Bengals converted five of nine.

Dan Parzych is the founder of WhoDeyBengals.com

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