The Bengals swept the Ravens last year in dominant fashion. A win Sunday puts the Bengals ahead in the AFC North, where three teams (Cincinnati, Baltimore and Cleveland) are 2-2.
Here are five things to know about the matchup:
1. Setting the tone
Cincinnati struggled in its AFC North opener, in the Week 1, when Joe Burrow turned the ball over five times in a loss to the Steelers. Now the Bengals can swing the division and set a new tone with a result Sunday.
Burrow said last year’s 41-17 win at Baltimore provided assurance about what the team was capable, especially on offense as he threw for 416 yards and three touchdowns with just one sack. It was a breakout game for rookie Ja’Marr Chase, as he topped 200 yards receiving. Burrow was even better in the second matchup in Cincinnati, a 20-point win in which he threw for 575 yards.
“We’d had a good season up to that point, but winning at Baltimore the way we did kind of proved to ourselves that we were who we thought we were and we just built from that point on and we are looking to have that same thing happen this season,” Burrow said.
The offense finally got some explosive plays last week against Miami but a repeat performance of either one of the Baltimore matchups would be a confidence boost to get some momentum going.
2. Stopping Lamar Jackson
With rookie cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt serving as the scout team quarterback and trying to emulate Lamar Jackson, the Bengals have their gameplan ready to account for a shifty player who can run and throw.
The defense had success last year applying pressure, sacking Jackson five times in the first matchup. He still threw for 257 yards and ran for 88 yards but much of his production came late while the Ravens tried at least making the score more respectable. Jackson missed the second matchup because of injury.
“I think our guys have always bought into the plan that we’ve had over the years with guys that can affect you with their feet,” Bengals coach Zac Taylor said. “The difficult thing with Lamar is he’s such a talented passer. He’s got pinpoint accuracy. He’s got a really strong arm. He can throw from any body position. You can blitz him and he can be drifting backwards and he can throw it 45 yards down the field for a big play. He can throw it across the field for a big play. He’s got a real knack for where his guys are. So again, there’s more challenges sometimes that meet the eye just because of all the things that he’s capable of. We just gotta play really solid, all 11 (guys) on that side of the ball.”
Jackson favors tight end Mark Andrews as a target, but the Bengals held him to three catches for 48 yards on seven targets in the first matchup last year with new cornerback Tre Flowers largely tasked with stopping him.
3. Eyes on the kickers
Two of the league’s best kickers will be competing Sunday. Five-time Pro Bowl pick Justin Tucker has been a rock of reliability for the Ravens over the years and Bengals second-year player Evan McPherson has emerged as one of the most promising young weapons.
Tucker has made the last three Pro Bowls, and he is the NFL’s most accurate kicker at 91.2 percent for his career. He also holds the NFL record for the longest successful field goal at 66 yards and has been perfect on five field goal attempts this season, including three from at least 50 yards.
McPherson, who earned AFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors for Week 4 and is coming off an impressive rookie season, could give him a run for his money. McPherson is 3-for-3 from 50-plus yards out this season, with a career long of 59.
Off the field, McPherson earned a little extra attention this week with news of Nelly performing at halftime. He sparked some controversy during the Super Bowl when he stayed on the field to watch the halftime performance, but told reporters Wednesday he plans to keep the normal routine this week. If he happens to catch some of the performance, it will only be because the team gets done in the locker room early.
4. Avoiding turnovers
The Ravens lead the league with 10 takeaways, and Burrow gave a nod to their secondary as featuring one of the best cornerback tandems in the league. However, Marcus Peters, a big part of that duo, is questionable after not practicing or being limited all week because of a quad issue. He missed the 2021 season because of a knee injury.
Cincinnati has been better about avoiding turnovers since the opener, but another fast start could be key and a clean game would help in that regard. The Bengals had just one turnover over both matchups last year.
“You’ve got to protect the ball, that’s the main thing,” Burrow said. “…If we can limit those turnovers I think we’ll be able to move the ball up and down the field. They do a great job of getting pressure and getting tips at the line of scrimmage and capitalizing on those opportunities. We’re going to have to protect the ball, run the ball well and can’t get behind like we did the first two games.”
5. Injury report
Wide receiver Tee Higgins (ankle) and tight end Hayden Hurst (groin) are listed as questionable, but Taylor told reporters Friday they should be good to go Sunday. The only other injury for the Bengals is tight end Devin Asiasi, who has been dealing with an ankle injury.
The Ravens have more injuries that could make an impact. Aside from Peters being questionable, wide receiver Rashod Bateman (foot), offensive guard Ben Cleveland (foot), running back Justice Hill (hamstring) and outside linebacker Justin Houston (groin) are all out. Offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley is questionable.
Bateman is the team’s leading receiver outside of Andrews.
SUNDAY’S GAME
Bengals at Ravens, 8:20 p.m., NBC, 700, 1530, 102.7, 104.7
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