Cincinnati rolled to a 41-17 win at Baltimore in Week 7 and is hoping for its second division sweep after completing that feat against Pittsburgh in dominant fashion. The Ravens hobble into this one on a three-game losing streak and facing injury and illness concerns, while the Bengals are coming off a 15-10 win at Denver last week.
Here are five storylines to watch:
1. Who’s the quarterback?
The Bengals were preparing all week as though they could see either Lamar Jackson or Tyler Huntley starting at quarterback for the Ravens, but now will see journeyman Josh Johnson.
Jackson injured his ankle in the Week 14 loss to Cleveland and hasn’t practiced or played since then. Huntley was placed on the Reserve/COVID list Saturday.
The Ravens signed the Johnson before last week’s game. He appeared in three games earlier this season for the New York Jets.
2. COVID and injury concerns
The quarterback room isn’t the only one impacted by injury and illness for the Ravens. On Friday, they had 12 players on the Reserve/COVID list and an additional five practice squad players on the COVID list.
Among those are starting wide receiver Sammy Watkins, linebacker Justin Houston, defensive tackle Justin Madubuike, safety Chuck Clark and cornerback Chris Westry.
Additionally, wide receiver Devin Duvernay (ankle) and offensive lineman Tyre Phillips (knee) are doubtful with injuries, and defensive tackle Calais Campbell (thigh), offensive lineman Patrick Mekari (hand), outside linebacker Odafe Owen (illness), fullback Patrick Ricard (knee) and safety Brandon Stephens (illness) are questionable.
That leaves the secondary especially thin. Backup safety Geno Stone and cornerback Jimmy Smith also are on the COVID list.
3. Burrow poised for another big game
In the first matchup, quarterback Joe Burrow threw for 416 yards and three touchdowns with just one interception and 201 of those yards went to Ja’Marr Chase, and tight end C.J. Uzomah had two touchdowns. The Bengals are expecting some adjustments but Baltimore’s thin secondary means an opportunity to attack.
The Ravens have cornerbacks Marlon Humphrey and Marcus Peters on injured reserve, and even if Westry is cleared from the COVID list, he has been limited by a knee injury.
Baltimore ranks second to last in passing defense, allowing 264 yards per game, while the run defense is the best in the league, allowing just 86.2 rushing yards per game. Joe Mixon practiced all week despite injuring his ankle last week and is ready to go.
“We’re ready for everything,” Uzomah said. “They played the Packers a little bit differently than they’ve been playing teams before because of people that have had to step up and step in. … We’re expecting the Ravens’ usual style of defense and we’re also expecting mixing in things that if they do something differently then we have to be able to react to that. We’re playing it both ways, for sure. We’ll have answers for and preparing like they play their style of defense, but we also have our base of plays we’ve been installing since camp and OTAs that we’re bringing back into the mix as well.”
4. Bengals defense to be tested
Cincinnati’s run defense still ranks fourth in the NFL while limiting opponents to 95.0 rushing yards per game, but the Ravens could test that. They have one of the best running games in the league, averaging 144.7 rushing yards per game to rank third, though much of that comes from Jackson.
Jackson accounts for a team-high 767 yards on the ground, while Devonta Freeman adds 462 yards and Latavius Murray 308. Huntley has 168 yards and two touchdowns on 29 carries over five games with two starts.
The Bengals are thin at linebacker with Logan Wilson still out with a shoulder injury and Joe Bachie (torn ACL) on injured reserve, along with Jordan Evans and Akeem Davis-Gaither. Tight end Mark Andrews also could be a problem, as the Ravens’ leading receiver (1,062 yards).
“I think he’s a tremendous player,” Bengals coach Zac Taylor said. “They have a lot of weapons, so you can’t just hone in one guy. They’ve got a lot of different guys, Marquis Brown and (James) Proche and the rookie from Minnesota, (Rashod) Bateman, and they’ve got the tight ends and the backs have played in this league for a long time. … It’s a really talented group. They do a good job of spreading the ball around. The quarterbacks, both of them are really good decision makers and find the open guy. Oftentimes that’s the challenge. When a team’s got a lot of weapons and you focus on taking away one guy, there’s other guys able to step up and make a lot of plays. And that’s what you’ve seen from this group over the course of the year. They always find a way to rise to the challenge.”
5. Playoff atmosphere
The Bengals are expecting this game to feel like a playoff atmosphere because of what’s on the line with two games left after this week.
Cornerback Mike Hilton said despite how badly the Bengals beat the Ravens last time around, dominating in the second half to put the game away, they can still play better. Cincinnati surprised with a big win at Pittsburgh, then followed with an even more lopsided victory at home, and the Bengals are looking to do the same with the Ravens.
“It would be big,” Hilton said. “It’ll be just another sign of us showing that we’re growing as a franchise. That we’re here to stay for the next X amount of years. It would be a big statement to everybody in the AFC North and everybody around the league.”
TODAY’S GAME
Ravens at Bengals, 1 p.m., CBS, 700, 1530, 102.7, 104.7
About the Author