The Bengals (4-9) face the possibility of elimination from playoff contention with a loss but are hoping to repeat their Thanksgiving night success against the Ravens to keep slim playoff hopes alive. The teams are playing for the second time in three weeks, and Cincinnati rolled to a 32-14 win in the first matchup.
Here are three things to know about the second meeting:
1. When the Bengals are on offense…
The Bengals didn’t have Tee Higgins in the first matchup against Baltimore and will have to figure out how to repeat their success without him again as he’s back in concussion protocols.
That first meeting marked Burrow’s return to competition 74 days after suffering a turf toe injury that required surgery, and he’s been solid in his first two games back — outside of the final eight minutes against Buffalo last week when he threw interceptions on consecutive plays, including one for a pick-six.
This week, Burrow drew a lot of national attention with cryptic statements about “a lot of things going on” both personally and in football and an unusual display of frustration in his Wednesday press conference. Ja’Marr Chase said people made too much out of that, assuring Burrow is still locked in and ready to compete.
Baltimore’s defense has been up-and-down this season but was playing really well going into the first matchup and hasn’t been as good the last two games. The Ravens allowed 35.4 points per game in the first five weeks, then started to turn a corner in a 17-3 loss to the Rams in Week 6 and surrendered 19 points or less during the win streak. They were allowing opponents 14.0 points per game their previous six games before the first matchup with Cincinnati.
Last week, Baltimore limited Pittsburgh to 34 yards rushing last week but Aaron Rodgers threw for 284 yards and a touchdown in a 27-22 victory for the Steelers.
“They are really good,” Bengals coach Zac Taylor said. “They’ve got a lot of veterans, and they are really smart. You can just see the communication. You see it on the whole back end. … Nothing is easy when you play against them. It takes a lot of work from us over the course of the week. Obviously, it’s nicer having seven days as opposed to four days (before the Thanksgiving game), but that still doesn’t make it any less challenging. They are a tough defense to go against.”
The Ravens have just 19 sacks this season (third fewest in the NFL), but linebackers Teddye Buchanan and Roquan Smith anchor the middle of the defense, and first-round draft pick Malaki Starks has been impressive playing safety next to Kyle Hamilton, whom Taylor especially has been impressed with the last few years.
Nate Wiggins leads the secondary with three interceptions, while fellow cornerback Marlon Humphrey adds one interception and one fumble recovery to go with two forced fumbles.
2. When the Bengals are on defense…
Stopping the run is task No. 1 against the Ravens.
Lamar Jackson struggled in a sloppy first meeting with Cincinnati, but the combination of him and running back Derrek Henry can cause problems for any opponent, especially an inconsistent Cincinnati run defense, which is allowing a league-worst 155.5 rushing yards per game.
Henry leads the league’s third-best rushing attack with 1,025 yards and 10 touchdowns, while Jackson, one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks in the league, adds 307 yards and two touchdowns.
Baltimore ranks 13th in scoring offense with 23.9 points per game, while the Bengals have allowed a league-most 31.8 points and 410.5 yards, despite showing progress in recent weeks.
Zay Flowers is Jackson’s top target with 891 yards and just one touchdown, but the Bengals have struggled against tight ends and Mark Andrews will be another concern. Andrews is the second-leading receiver with 341 yards and five touchdowns.
“We’ve been better against the run these last couple weeks,” Taylor said. “To combat that some teams are hard action and trying to get the tight end to slip behind you. I’m not saying we’ve done a great job against it. There are snaps where we have done a great job where you don’t even notice it because it has been taken away. There have been some times where we give up explosives and we have to be much better there.”
The Bengals found success last time by recording five takeaways, but it will be tough to repeat that Sunday.
3. Injuries of note …
Tee Higgins will be out Sunday after re-entering concussion protocols Monday when he reported experiencing symptoms that morning and the previous night. He had returned twice from hitting his head in his first game back from a concussion after missing the first matchup against Baltimore on Thanksgiving.
Shemar Stewart is doubtful after returning to practice Wednesday, opening the 21-day window for him to practice without counting against the 53-man roster and be activated from injured reserve.
Safety and special teams player PJ Jules did not practice all week due to an ankle injury.
For the Ravens, wide receiver Rashod Bateman (ankle) showed up on the practice report Thursday as limited and was not in practice Friday. Andrews (glute) was limited Thursday but practiced in some fashion Friday.
About the Author