NFL
The Cincinnati Bengals will face the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday night in week 5 of the 2022 Season. This will be their 53rd meeting. The Baltimore Ravens lead the series 27-25.
When: Sunday, October 9
Time: 8:20pm
Network: NBC
Offense
The Cincinnati Bengals offense has continued to improve. The passing game was much more effective and points were able to be put on the board. The offensive line also only gave up 1 sack. The running game however has still struggled. There has still yet to be a game where the Bengals offense has clicked on all cylinders. It wouldn’t hurt if they all finally figured it out on Sunday. Last year, the Bengals hung 40 points on the Ravens defense twice. I don’t expect to see that happening this time around, but I think the offense can still get the job done.
Joe Burrow has gained the respect of players on the Ravens Defense. Burrow has also said that the Ravens “have the best corner duo that we’ve played so far.” While both Marlon Humphrey and Marcus Peters being a solid pair of corners, the Baltimore passing defense so far has been in the bottom half of the league. They do have 7 interceptions already though so turnovers is something Burrow needs to safeguard against.
Tee Higgins has continued to show that he is a number 1 receiver who just happens to be number 2 in Cincinnati. Higgins, along with Ja’Marr Chase, will be key matchups versus Humphrey and Peters. The Ravens losing defensive tackle Michael Pierce hurts the run defense a ton. Their pass rush is also underwhelming to say the least. After their last 2 games, I think it’s safe to say that the Bengals offensive line can finally hold its own and not get crushed upon impact.
In a rivalry game in primetime, this is a game where everyone on the Bengals offense needs to figure it out. They can’t just rely on the big play to bail them out of a dying drive. The overall play calling and running game need to be up to par to sustain drives. Joe Mixon is currently averaging 2.7 yards a carry. If he can’t eventually get rolling, Cincinnati needs to start watching tape on college backs for next year.
https://https://twitter.com/kelseylconway/status/1577700554691825666?s=46&t=9S3C1jPkbmNG5_nXhGd9PQ
Defense
This Bengals defense has been borderline elite. They’ve only given up 4 touchdowns in 4 games. In the last 31 opponent drives, they’ve only given up just one touchdown. The unfortunate injury to Tua Tagovailoa last week slowed down the Dolphins offense quite a bit. The Bengals defense can’t rely on freak accidents to happen versus Lamar Jackson on Sunday night.
Despite having a disappointing loss versus the Buffalo Bills, Jackson has been playing some of the best football in his career so far. He is no doubt the biggest threat on the Ravens offense through the air and on the ground. The running game may also feature J.K. Dobbins more as well. Wide Receiver Rashod Bateman has been ruled out. This is a big loss as he is the leading receiver on the team.
Tight End Mark Andrews must also be contained. Last season, that job went to 6’3 cornerback Tre Flowers who did a great job against Andrews in 2021. He needs to do it again this week. Expect to see more of the passing targets go to Andrews and also Devin Duvernay. The Bengals need to shut down the run game like they’ve done at a high level already. With Cincinnati’s pass rush having 78 total pressure through 4 games, they need to put as much pressure on Lamar Jackson as possible. With Ravens offensive guard Ben Cleveland being out and offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley dealing with an ankle injury, there should be opportunities for sacks all around by Trey Hendrickson and B.J Hill.
Prediction
Bengals win 27-24
