The Baltimore Ravens (6-3) were unable to build momentum after their impressive victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers last week as they succumbed to a 22-17 loss on the road at the Seattle Seahawks (3-6).

Although the Ravens could still not welcome back wide receiver Lee Evans due to his ankle injury, concerns over Matt Birk, Ed Reed, and Terrell Suggs all amounted to nothing as the trio started against the Seahawks. Meanwhile, Seattle declared starting quarterback Tavaris Jackson active after a pectoral injury from the previous week.

The underdog Seahawks made the much better start to the game, racing into a 10-0 lead, with Marshawn Lynch running in a touchdown from a yard out, and kicker Steven Hauschka adding a field goal. If Lynch had been the go-to man on the Seahawks drive, then Ed Dickson stepped into that role for the Ravens, with Joe Flacco targeting him consistently on their drive, which culminated in Ray Rice passing to Dickson for a one-yard touchdown pass, cutting the Seahawks’ lead to just three points.

Hauschka added three more field goals for Seattle towards the end of the second quarter, the latter coming as a result of a fumbled kick return from David Reed, turning things from bad to worse for the Ravens. The Seahawks then increased their lead to 15 points with another field goal after Flacco’s pass was deflected, and linebacker David Hawthorne intercepted the ball for the Ravens’ third turnover of the game.

As the third quarter came to a close, the Ravens found success with the no-huddle offense, much in the same way they did previously against both the Arizona Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Steelers, and were rewarded with a field goal, and setting up an exciting final quarter.

Baltimore continued to use the no huddle offense, and drove quickly up the field midway through the fourth quarter, and Flacco found Dickson for his second touchdown of the game with an 11-yard pass, leaving the Ravens trailing by just five points with just under six minutes left to play. Unfortunately for the visitors, their defense could not make anything happen, and Seattle ran the clock out with Lynch running  strongly.

The performance of tight ends Denis Pitta and Dickson will be pleasing to Offensive Coordinator Cam Cameron, as will the performance of the offense when it was in its hurry-up mode, but more worryingly for Baltimore is the fact that they have slipped to another defeat against a side they should be beating if they have genuine playoff ambitions.

The Ravens’ lack of a significant running game ultimately cost them this game, with Lynch running for over 100 yards, as well as the Seahawks punishing Baltimore for their errors, including the two fumbled kick returns from D. Reed. They will need to be more clinical on offense and solid in defense next week when they take on AFC North rivals the Cincinnati Bengals as they look to reaffirm their position at the top of the division.

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The Dallas Cowboys were able to capitalize on their scoring chances in the second quarter to get the 23-13 victory on Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks, securing their fourth win of the season. The stars of the game were in the kicking teams, with most of the points in the game coming off the boots of Cowboys Dan Bailey and Seattle’s Steven Hauschka.

Bailey was the first to score for Dallas, putting a 20-yard field goal through the uprights with five minutes left in the first quarter. Hauschka tied up the game with a 45-yard field goal for Seattle with four seconds left in the first quarter. The second quarter ended just like the first, with Bailey and Hauschka kicking field goals to keep the game tied at six points going into the second half.

The only touchdown to happen in the third quarter came off a 33-yard pass from Tony Romo to Jason Witten to give Dallas a seven point lead going into the fourth quarter. Laurent Robinson caught a six yard pass from Tony Romo five minutes into the fourth quarter, giving the Cowboys a 20-6 lead. Bailey kicked a 42-yard field goal two minutes later, giving him a total of 11 points for the game.

The Seahawks had the final say in the game with Marshawn Lynch running four yards for a touchdown with six minutes left in the game. With their fourth win of the season, the Cowboys are still questionable as to whether they will make the postseason. ”You can’t just hover around .500,” tight end Jason Witten said in an interview with Fox Sports. ”You need to make a run and make a push to stay in the hunt.”

The Cowboys (4-4) stay at home to face the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, with the Seattle Seahawks (2-6) travelling back home to welcome the Baltimore Ravens.

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Most experts were predicting a low scoring and close fought game between the Cincinnati Bengals (5-2) and Seattle Seahawks (2-5), and many will have been surprised with the Bengals’ 34-12 victory at CenturyLink Field. The Bengals went ahead with a field goal, extending their lead to 10 points when rookie quarterback Andy Dalton found Jerome Simpson for a 14-yard touchdown pass.

Dalton looked to be in good form and gave Cincinnati a 14-point lead when he linked up with fellow rookie, A.J. Green, for a 43-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter.

The touchdown extends Green’s lead at the top of the receiving yards table for rookies, coming into the game with an impressive 453 yards so far this season, whilst opposite number Doug Baldwin, one of his biggest rivals, had registered 330 yards prior to kickoff.

The game exploded back into action in the fourth quarter, when Tavaris Jackson moved the chains well for the Seahawks, pushing them 79 yards up the field in just seven plays and raising the possibility of a Seattle comeback when Marshawn Lynch ran in a two-yard touchdown. Despite pulling his side back into the game, Lynch had a fairly unsuccessful outing, with just 24 yards for his 16 attempts.

A Mike Nugent field goal helped alleviate Cincinnati fans’ anxiety, before Brandon Tate ran home a 56-yard punt return touchdown to confirm the victory for the visiting side. With the Seahawks needing something special to turn the game around late in the fourth quarter, Jackson launched a deep pass whilst under pressure, and safety Reggie Nelson collected the interception for a 75-yard return touchdown.

Despite Jackson passing for 323 yards, almost double Dalton’s 168 yards, it was not enough to secure the win for the Seahawks. Furthermore, with Ben Obomanu and Sidney Rice both receiving over 100 yards each, Offensive Coordinator Darrell Bevell will be left wondering why his side weren’t able to put more points on the board.

The Bengals have reason to celebrate however, as Head Coach Marvin Lewis now surpasses Sam Wyche in the list of Bengals Head Coaches with the most wins, this victory being his 65^th.

They will also look forward to welcoming back running back Cedric Benson, who was fifth in the N.F.L. with 117 carries prior to this game, as he will have served his suspension and be raring to go against the Titans in Tennessee next week.
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