The surprise of the night is the success the Bengals defense had before halftime. Baltimore’s seven points scored a season low in the first half. They lost all three bottom teams on this list. Cincinnati’s vicious defense forced three three-and-outs. In the first game against Baltimore, a 41-38 overtime loss, they forced three punts in the entire game. They didn’t even force a loss to Washington in Week 3. But here they took care of Lamar Jackson and the Ravens.

Meanwhile, Joe Burrow completed just under the third-most passes he’s thrown as a pro before halftime, going 17 of 29 for 161 yards. The Bengals didn’t have any semblance of a running game, as Chase Brown only managed 29 yards on nine carries, but the Bengals leaned heavily on the arm of Burrow. He was bailed out when one of his worst calls of the year, which looked like an interception by Brandon Stephens, was overturned. He took advantage of the gift with an off-script touchdown. The Bengals are in as good a position as they could hope for at a critical point in their season.

Of course, they’ve been on the verge of big wins before and failed to finish the job, most notably in Kansas City and in the first game against Baltimore. If they can do it tonight, their season will gain new momentum.