A huge AFC North showdown awaits for the Baltimore Ravens (2-2) as they head to Cincinnati to take on the Bengals (1-3). Let’s dive into some numbers and notes for this game.
Baltimore Ravens vs. Cincinnati Bengals series history
Sunday will mark the 58th time these two teams meet, including the postseason. Baltimore leads the all-time series 30-27. The Ravens are on a two-game winning streak, having swept the season series in 2023. The Ravens have also won eight of the last 12 meetings, though the Bengals did win two seasons ago in the AFC Wild Card.
Keys players for Ravens
Quarterback Lamar Jackson has been able to almost sit back and watch Derrick Henry do the work this season. However, Jackson still controls the offense and, for the most part, is taking care of the football. He did lose a fumble last week against the Bills but that was only his second turnover of the season. Jackson only has one interception on the year, and that was back in Week 2. He also had his first multi-touchdown day through the air in the 35-10 win over the Bills.
Speaking of Derrick Henry, the Ravens hope his jets don’t turn off anytime soon. What a burst of speed he showed on that 87-yard touchdown against the Bills. Henry ended up with 199 rushing yards in Baltimore’s big win over Buffalo. Now he faces a Bengals team that is allowing about 145 rushing yards per game, eighth-most in the NFL.
Linebacker Kyle Van Noy already has six sacks on the year. He has three straight games with two sacks and is good for a handful of pressures in each game. The Bengals will need to be aware of Van Noy to keep quarterback Joe Burrow upright.
Key players for Bengals
It’s all about No. 9 for the Bengals, quarterback Joe Burrow. After a rough start to the season, Burrow has had three straight games with a rating of at least 100 and has seven touchdowns to just one interception.
The Bengals have been riding the duo of Zack Moss and Chase Brown in the backfield this season. Both have about 185 rushing yards, though Brown has gotten there in 20 fewer carries than Moss. The Bengals rank 23rd in the league in rushing yards per game (102.3).
Ja’Marr Chase is currently 12th in the league with 300 receiving yards and has three receiving touchdowns. Andrei Iosivas also has three receiving touchdowns, two of them coming in Week 2 against the Chiefs.
Defensively, linebacker Logan Wilson and Germaine Pratt are a strong duo at linebacker for the Bengals, both currently with over 40 tackles for the season. About half of those are stops for each, meaning the offense did not get half the yards needed for a first down on first and second down or all the yards needed on third and fourth down.
The Bengals also have a solid secondary with safeties Vonn Bell and Geno Stone and cornerbacks Dax Hill and Cam Taylor-Britt.
Keys to victory for Ravens
Keep the King Henry train rolling
Facing a bottom-ten rushing defense, Derrick Henry has to be feeling pretty good about this upcoming matchup. No reason for the Ravens to take their foot of the pedal with Henry this week.
Ronnie Stanley needs to win against Trey Hendrickson
Stanley enters Week 5 as the league leader among tackles in ESPN’s pass-block win rate while Hendrickson is third in pass-rush win rate. If Stanley can help keep Lamar Jackson upright, the Ravens will be able to move the ball against the Bengals.
Force Burrow out of the pocket
According to NFL Next Gen Stats, Burrow has been less effective passing outside the tackle box, going just 7-of-19 for 66 yards and an interception. Given the pressure the Ravens can bring, if they can fluster Burrow and flush him from the pocket, they should increase their chances to get their defense off the field sooner and allow their offense more time to operate and wear down the Bengals’ defense.
