On today's show Stone reacts to a 32-14 Bengals win over Baltimore in a night where Joe Burrow returned and the Bengals defense took another step in the right direction. Also we preview The Game and the Iron Bowl and roll through our Best Bets Of The Weekend.
On a frosty Thanksgiving night at M&T Bank Stadium, Joe Burrow's long-awaited return from a surgically repaired turf toe injury lit the fuse for the Cincinnati Bengals' emphatic 32-14 demolition of the Baltimore Ravens. Absent since Week 2's win over Jacksonville, where the injury sidelined him for nine grueling games, Burrow silenced doubters with a poised 261-yard, two-touchdown performance—his first meaningful snaps in 11 weeks. Sporting a metal plate in his cleat for stability, the Bengals' franchise cornerstone moved fluidly, evading pressure and slinging dimes as if the layoff never happened. Cincinnati, mired at 3-8, snapped a four-game skid to climb to 4-8, suddenly just two games back in the AFC North with a wild-card whisper growing louder.
Burrow's magic ignited in the second half. Trailing 7-6 early, he orchestrated a third-quarter masterpiece: a 43-yard bomb to Ja'Marr Chase on a go route rekindled their lethal chemistry, setting up position inside the 30. Then, on third-and-9 in the red zone, Burrow rolled left under duress, firing a pinpoint strike to backup tight end Tanner Hudson for a one-handed touchdown grab over safety Kyle Hamilton. Chase tallied 102 yards on seven catches, but it was Andrei Iosivas stepping up sans concussed Tee Higgins, hauling in a 23-yard dagger on third-and-long to bury Baltimore late. Burrow went 22-of-32, his mobility—eight rushing yards on three carries—extending plays and quieting pregame jitters about rust or recurrence.
Yet Burrow's solo act couldn't eclipse the Bengals' defensive epiphany. Dead last in points allowed (32.7 per game) and takeaways (10 total), they morphed into turnover thieves, forcing five from a Ravens offense that entered on a five-game heater. Lamar Jackson, hobbled by lower-body woes, tossed two picks—including a deflected floater snared by linebacker Demetrius Knight Jr. in the red zone—and lost two fumbles. Safety Jordan Battle's goal-line strip of Isaiah Likely for a touchback flipped momentum, while edge rushers Joseph Ossai and Cedric Johnson swarmed for a strip-sack. Corner DJ Turner sealed it with a fumble recovery.
Kicker Evan McPherson chipped in 12 points on four field goals, including a 24-yarder for the halftime edge. For Baltimore (6-6), now trailing Pittsburgh by a half-game, Derrick Henry's 28-yard TD burst and rookie Keaton Mitchell's 18-yard scamper offered fleeting hope amid the slop—five giveaways total. Harbaugh's squad, once division darlings, faces soul-searching: Jackson's accuracy faltered (not top-15 elite, per critics), and the O-line crumbled. Burrow, ever the cool cat, postgame quipped about his plate: "It worked." In the AFC North meat grinder, his revival could spark a 9-8 miracle run—who dey think will stop him now?
Music from #InAudio: https://inaudio.org/ Track Name Holy (Trap).
Music from #InAudio: https://inaudio.org/ Track Name Exercise (Rock).
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