Ja'Marr Chase's atomic performance on Thursday Night Football was spoiled after the Cincinnati Bengals failed at what could have been a turning point win against the Baltimore Ravens in Cincy's disappointing season. It was a solid bit of entertainment. Thursday night featured Chase's 264-yard performance (a godsend to fantasy football managers), our weekly dose of a controversial sequence involving the refs, and Derrick Henry's a** accidentally displayed on screens across this great country. The Baltimore Ravens edged the Bengals, 35-34.
The contest ended with Joe Burrow and Cincy's offense letting everyone down and failing a two-point conversion, seemingly after having the momentum from Ja'Marr Chase's late-game TD (his third of the night) with roughly 30 seconds left.
Chase went off, becoming Burrow's security blanket all evening. His final stat line was 11 catches for 264 yards and three touchdowns. Of course, the game came down to the two-point conversion attempt by the Bengals. And rather than going back to Chase, Burrow targeted TE Tanner Hudson … an incompletion.
The NFL officials expectedly left their mark, missing a blatant hold on the Bengals' tight end, Mike Gesicki, on the two-point attempt. The Ravens defense line also got away with some forcible contact on Burrow, which is typically a penalty in this league, though not this time.
Cincinnati has to take it on the chin, but at 4-6, the Bengals are running out of chances to save their season. Baltimore deserves credit, mostly on offense. Ravens QB Lamar Jackson boosted his shot at the MVP this year, completing 25-of-33 for 290 yards and four touchdowns.
Burrow's performance on Thursday was slightly better, with 428 yards (33-of-45) and four touchdowns. What adds a gear to Jackson is the QB's instinct in the pocket, which kept the Bengals' defensive line mute with zero sacks. Not even the league leader in sacks, Bengals DE Trey Hendrickson, was capable of reaching Lamar.
Baltimore improved to 7-3 — Jackson improved his record against the Bengals to 10-1. As for Derrick Henry, the dependently monstrous running back was bottled up for most of the first half. His final stat line was 16 rush attempts for 68 yards and a touchdown. By Derrick Henry's standards, you can live with that kind of performance if you're the opposing defense.
Also, Henry gifted primetime audiences with a screen full of a** after getting his pants pulled on a tackle with 3:50 left in the fourth. NFL fans on social media were more than impressed by Henry's backyard, posting screenshots of his mooning. You were warned. Here it is. TNF's Bengals and Ravens more than delivered — considering the next game NFL fans get comes between the New York Giants and Carolina Panthers in Germany.
The 'Moon in Baltimore' Goes Viral
Baltimore ran out 35-34 winners over the Cincinnati Bengals in a thriller, but afterwards fans were instead reflecting on an awkward moment in the second half. As Henry was tackled just short of the Bengals' 25-yard line, he inadvertently had his pants pulled down - for the entire world to see. It appeared the running back immediately sensed he was a little more exposed than usual, and he quickly attempted to grab his pants to put his buttocks away. It was too late for social media not to notice, though, with thousands quickly discussing the 'full moon in Baltimore'.
'Pantsed' in the Fourth Quarter
Derrick Henry's ground dominance reached a fever pitch on Thursday night. The Ravens RB came to life while crashing into the Bengals' front seven throughout the second half. Henry made a habit of collecting yards after contact as Baltimore launched its attempted comeback. Cincinnati's defenders were understandably weary, unable to bring the daunting tailback to the canvas. So, they got creative...and rather handsy.
Henry put forth his best Moby Dick impression with 3:50 left in the fourth quarter, bursting through a sea of defenders with relative ease. As Henry approached the first down marker, defensive tackle BJ Hill exhausted all possible options to send Henry to the turf. He settled on a rather unsavory option, nipping at Henry's heels — and his underwear — to bring the gifted runner to a halt. Fans were greeted with a glimpse of Henry's bum. It wasn't a moment they'll forget any time soon.
Henry's Unintentional Social Media Debut
Derrick Henry was held in check for most of the Baltimore Ravens' Week 10 Thursday Night Football matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals. During the fourth quarter, he was held by the pants. Henry, the NFL's rushing leader, had his pants pulled down by Bengals' defensive tackle B.J. Hill during the fourth quarter of the Ravens-Bengals game on Amazon Prime and briefly mooned the audience streaming the game. Henry quickly pulled up his pants, but it was too late. Prime Video showed a replay, but barely cut away before another angle was shown on the broadcast.
Henry's Pantsless Performance
It was a seemingly quiet night for Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry until the second half of tonight's thriller on Thursday Night Football. In the fourth quarter, with under four minutes to go, Henry ran the ball through a crowd of Cincinnati Bengals players, one of whom pulled the running back's pants down while trying to take him down. The wardrobe malfunction has consumed social media since it happened during the game. Bengals defensive tackle B.J. Hill made the initial stop on Henry to bring him down, but at the end of the Ravens' powerhouse running back's eight-yard gain, Hill latches onto Henry's pants to help with the tackle. Everyone saw what they thought they saw; yes, indeed, it was Derrick Henry's bum on national television.
A Night of Unforgettable Moments
In true Henry fashion, Henry yanked his pants back up and went back to the huddle; no dramatics, no trash-talking; he was already onto the next play, and rightfully so because all of this was happening as part of the thrilling finish between these two division rivals. Tonight's Thursday Night Football game saw many twists and turns. One of them was both teams scoring on back-to-back plays, which tied the game up at 28-28 with very little time remaining in regulation.
The Bengals and Ravens: A Night for the Record Books
Nearly an hour before Henry would moon us all on national television, it looked like the Bengals had turned a corner on their season after a slow start. They led the Ravens 21-7. Whatever Henry, Lamar Jackson, and the rest of the team did to get out of their doldrums seemed to have worked. The Ravens would go on to win the game 35-34. The win now has the Ravens breathing down the neck of the AFC North leaders, the Pittsburgh Steelers, a team that they'll square off against next Sunday.