Instant analysis after Bengals beat Ravens in Joe Burrow's return

The Cincinnati Bengals got Joe Burrow back and beat the Baltimore Ravens on Thanksgiving, 32-14.

Burrow looked good in the first half while attempting 32 passes before really kicking into gear in a second half that featured two passing scores and a defense that forced five turnovers.

While the first half was a tale of missed opportunities, as the Bengals forced three Ravens turnovers, only to settle for four Evan McPherson field goals for a 12-7 halftime score, Burrow's side held strong and pushed through, rather than collapse.

Here are some quick notes, stats to know and takeaways from the AFC North clash.

Quick thoughts

• Bengals notably played it safe with Burrow to start the game’s first drive, going with some under-center looks and quick-hitters. The shotgun, extended-play stuff is what Burrow likes, but if the looks that go extra in protecting him worked so well, why do anything else?

• Early, it looked like the struggle to play a complete game would continue, this time with the defense completely collapsing on the first drive.

• If the toe bothered Burrow, it didn’t show much in the first half. He ran around in the backfield when needed, took some hits and even did a quarterback sneak.

• That said, Burrow was obviously rusty on some of his early accuracy and timings.

• The red zone offense was a mess. Without Burrow’s usual mobility to make plays on extended looks, the onus fell more on the coaches to scheme it up.

• Joseph Ossai had two sacks in the first half, picking up the slack with Trey Hendrickson out.

• Mitchell Tinsley, a budding player at wideout, had a few crippling, smaller mistakes in the first half. Still, the trust from Burrow was obvious and there’s no reason to think it stops.

• The Bengals got a little blitz-happy in the second half. On one notable play, Myles Murphy hit home on Lamar Jackson, leading to a big play for the rookie Demetrius Knight.

Key stat

1-of-6: The number of successful redzone trips for the Bengals. They kept making it down where it matters most, only for the play calls and execution to come up short. Some of it was Burrow rust and mobility, the rest was the coaching. It's an area they'll need to improve by the week.

Top takeaway

Hope: And just like that, the Bengals are alive. They're 4-8 now and have a chance to hand the Ravens a second loss in three weeks just two games from now. If they keep knocking down the AFC North leader and win out, playoffs remain a possibility.

What’s Next?

The Bengals get a bit of an extended break before a Week 14 showdown on the road with the Buffalo Bills. That’s another contest that will have heavy playoff implications in the AFC.

RELATED: Trey Hendrickson injury could force Bengals DE into offseason surgery

This article originally appeared on Bengals Wire: Instant analysis after Bengals beat Ravens in Joe Burrow's return