Cincinnati, OH -- (Sports Network) - Rookie quarterback Joe Flacco threw a pair of touchdowns, as the Baltimore Ravens stymied the lowly Cincinnati Bengals, 34-3, at Paul Brown Stadium.

Flacco finished with a career-high 280 yards on 19-of-29 passing for the Ravens (8-4), who have won six of their last seven games and remain one game back of Pittsburgh in the AFC North. The Steelers walloped New England, 33-10, in Foxboro on Sunday.

Mark Clayton caught a 70-yard touchdown and finished with a career-high 164 yards on five receptions. He also threw a 32-yard TD pass to Derrick Mason, while Le'Ron McClain gained 86 yards on the ground for Baltimore.

"Our defense was off the charts, just a completely dominant performance," said Ravens head coach John Harbaugh. "That was an impressive performance. I thought offensively we did what we had to do to score points. We found ways."

Ryan Fitzpatrick struggled mightily for the Bengals (1-10-1), completing just 12-of-31 passes for 124 yards. Cincinnati generated only 57 yards rushing in its latest setback.

"We got a youthful team and today we didn't play very well," said Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis."

A Matt Stover 27-yard field goal put Baltimore on the board with 6:06 to go in the first quarter. The Ravens defense smothered Cincinnati's offense, limiting the Bengals to just 15 total yards and one first down in the opening 15 minutes.

Baltimore added to its lead in the second frame on a 21-yarder from Stover, and four-yard strike from Flacco to Todd Heap with 3:06 remaining.

Cincinnati's offense finally awoke from its slumber and Fitzpatrick orchestrated an eight-play, 89-yard drive in hopes of finding the scoreboard before the conclusion of the first half. A 46-yard strike to T.J. Houshmandzadeh placed the ball at Baltimore's 18, and Shayne Graham eventually booted a 21-yard field goal as time expired.

The rout was on in the third quarter. Clayton took a handoff from Flacco and then heaved the ball to a wide-open Mason in the end zone. Baltimore struck quickly on its next series, as Clayton made an outstanding one-handed grab that resulted in a 70-yard TD.

Jordan Palmer replaced the ineffective Fitzpatrick late in the fourth quarter and his first pass attempt was picked off by Jim Leonhard, who scampered 35 yards down the far sideline for the score with 2:28 to go in the contest.

Game Notes:

Ravens running back Willis McGahee was active but did not play...Baltimore swept Cincinnati for the first time since 2002...Mason made six catches for 91 yards.