The Bengals finished off their first perfect home season in 25 years Sunday and first at Paul Brown Stadium when the defensive fittingly picked off Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco three times in the fourth quarter, the last a 21-yard pick-six by cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick with 4:07 left in a 34-17 victory before a sellout crowd of 62,406 toasting an 11-5 finish and the dismissal of Baltimore’s Super Bowl champs from the playoffs.
It was the sixth defensive TD in a home season dominated by defense.
Despite a career-high four interceptions and a 62.2 passer rating, quarterback Andy Dalton won his 30th game in three years in finishing the day 21-of-36 for 281 yards. He finished the season 4-0 at PBS against Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks this season and outpassed them each time. He did it again when Flacco finished 30-of-50 for 192 yards, and those three picks for a 49.8 passer rating.
After the Ravens gave the Bengals a roundhouse left and right when they erased a 17-6 halftime deficit late in the third quarter, Dalton bounced back from his third interception of the day when he led a 90-yard touchdown drive that broke a 17-17 tie and gave the Bengals a 24-17 lead with 13:29 left on their NFL-leading 12th drive of at least 90 yards.
They only had to convert one third down on the drive and running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis smashed for five yards on third-and-one and rookie running back Giovani Bernard did the rest with gains of 27 and nine yards on screen passes.
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