In their very first Monday Night home opener, the Bengals and their offensive firepower began their 40th Anniversary season in Game 1 of the Monday Night Football doubleheader against the defending AFC North champion Baltimore Ravens, with last year's top defense.  In the first quarter, Cincinnati managed to cash in on a Raven fumble with QB Carson Palmer completing a 39-yard TD pass to WR Chad Johnson (whose TD celebration was on the sideline, in the form of a Hall of Fame jacket.)  Later, the Bengals managed to turn another fumble recovery into points as kicker Shayne Graham kicked a 23-yard field goal.  In the second quarter, Baltimore finally managed to score with RB Musa Smith getting a 6-yard TD run.  Cincinnati would respond with Graham kicking a 40-yard field goal, while Ravens kicker Matt Stover ended the half with a 36-yard field goal. In the third quarter, the Bengals defense struck big, as OLB Landon Johnson recovered a McNair fumble and returned the ball 34 yards for a touchdown, along with the only score of the period.  In the fourth quarter, Baltimore took the lead with Stover getting a 23-yard field goal, while Safety Ed Reed returned a punt 63 yards for a touchdown.  Fortunately, Cincinnati regained the lead by turning an interception into a huge score as Palmer completed a 7-yard TD pass to WR T. J. Houshmandzadeh (followed by a successful 2-point conversion by RB Rudi Johnson).  After the Ravens managed to recover a Bengal fumble on Cincinnati's next drive, Balitimore had one final chance.  Eventually, the Bengals held their ground and won. The Bengals defense had a total of 6 takeaways while the offense only turned over the ball twice. The game was relatively close in score with the final chance to tie up the game coming with a bit more than one minute left on the game clock. The defense held Baltimore out successfully scoring the tying touchdown after they had "goal to go" for 8 consecutive plays (after penalties extended their opportunities). Two Bengals linemen, Willie Anderson and Levi Jones, did not play most of this game due to injuries. Q1 - CIN - 8:38 - 39-yard TD pass from Carson Palmer to Chad Johnson (kick failed) (CIN 6-0) Q1 - CIN - 4:07 - Shayne Graham 23-yard FG (CIN 9-0) Q2 - BAL - 11:56 - Musa Smith 6-yard TD run (Matt Stover kick) (CIN 9-7) Q2 - CIN - 1:07 - Shayne Graham 40-yard FG (CIN 12-7) Q2 - BAL - 0:06 - Matt Stover 36-yard FG (CIN 12-10) Q3 - CIN - 8:57 - Landon Johnson 34-yard fumble return TD (Graham kick) (CIN 19-10) Q4 - BAL - 14:05 - Matt Stover 23-yard FG (CIN 19-13) Q4 - BAL - 12:25 - Ed Reed 63-yard punt return TD (Stover kick) (BAL 20-19) Q4 - CIN - 8:53 - 7-yard TD pass from Carson Palmer to T. J. Houshmandzadeh (Rudi Johnson 2-point conversion run) (CIN 27-20). Who made the highest field goal?