Jackson Carries 27 Times, Lifts Ravens Past Bengals 24-21

BALTIMORE (AP) — Rookie quarterback Lamar Jackson juked and sprinted for 117 yards in his first NFL start, Gus Edwards ran for 115 and the Baltimore Ravens ground out a 24-21 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday to end a three-game losing streak.

Flashing the moves that enabled him to win the 2016 Heisman Trophy at Louisville, Jackson zipped in and out of the pocket for 27 carries. Though the Ravens (5-5) relied heavily on the run, Jackson also completed 13 of 19 passes for 150 yards with an interception.

WATCH: Ravens John Harbaugh's Post-Game Locker Room Speech Was 'Good!'

Ravens starting quarterback Joe Flacco did not practice all week and was inactive with a right hip injury. That created an opening for Jackson, the 32nd overall pick in the NFL draft.

Before Sunday, the former Louisville star occasionally took snaps in running situations and replaced Flacco in the fourth quarter of two blowouts. Having to carry the load by himself, Jackson responded with a solid performance in a game the Ravens had to win.

Down 21-13 in the second half, Baltimore rallied to hand the sinking Bengals (5-5) their fourth loss in five games.

Edwards, an undrafted rookie free agent, scored on an 11-yard run and barreled in for the conversion late in the third quarter.

Jackson then directed a 55-yard drive that ended with a field goal by Justin Tucker with 8:12 remaining.

Cincinnati's Randy Bullock missed a potential tying 52-yard field goal with 3:59 left, and Andy Dalton's fourth-down pass from the Baltimore 37 with 1:42 to go was knocked away by Marlon Humphrey.

This was a tough defeat for the Bengals, who were soaring at 4-1 in October but now stand at .500 for the first time.

After Cincinnati allowed 500 yards in three straight games, an NFL record in the Super Bowl era, coach Marvin Lewis fired defensive coordinator Teryl Austin on Monday and assumed control of the unit. The Bengals were much better this time around, although success came at the expense of an inexperienced quarterback who had thrown 12 passes in the NFL before Sunday.

Jackson ran 10 times for 64 yards and five first downs, Alex Collins scored on a 7-yard run to cap the opening drive, and the Ravens took a 13-7 halftime lead when Tucker drilled a 56-yard field goal.

It all came apart for Baltimore in the third quarter. Jackson threw his first NFL interception, a pick by Shawn Williams, whose 22-yard return set up a 4-yard touchdown pass to tight end Matt Lengel for a 14-13 lead.

On the next series, Jackson was stuffed on a fourth-and-1 from the Baltimore 45. Dalton turned the gamble into a touchdown, hitting John Ross on the right side of the end zone for a 22-yard score.

But the Ravens rallied.

GRIFFIN DEBUT

Also on Sunday, Robert Griffin III made his debut with Baltimore after being on the inactive list for the first nine weeks. Griffin lined up as a receiver in the second quarter but did not touch the ball.

READY AND RESTED

The Ravens improved to 9-2 after a bye under coach John Harbaugh, and they're 14-3 since 2002 following an extra week off.

INJURIES

Bengals: WR A.J. Green (toe) was inactive after dressing for warmups.

Ravens: OT James Hurst (back) was inactive for a fourth straight week. ... OT Ronnie Stanley twice limped off the field. He's had ankle issues lately.

UP NEXT

Bengals: A matchup next Sunday against visiting Cleveland should be particularly meaningful for former Browns coach Hue

Jackson, hired as an assistant by Cincinnati on Tuesday.

Ravens: A three-game homestand concludes for Baltimore against the struggling Oakland Raiders.

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