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

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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.

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