NFL
By: Jalen Willingham
The Cincinnati Bengals will host the Baltimore Ravens in the Wild Card Round of the 2022 Playoffs.
When: Sunday, January 15th, 2023
Network: NBC
In a game between division rivals, this is the first time the two teams have met in the playoffs. The last time the Bengals faced a division rival in the playoffs was in 2015 when they faced the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Wild Card. Things and players literally went awol. This is the reality of AFC North football. Things will get chippy. It could be ugly.
Bengals Offense
Although the team scored 27 points, there were many times when the Bengals offense simply went flat. They couldn’t move the ball and even had a bad turnover as well. Joe Burrow also missed a good amount of throws too. That can’t happen Sunday night. They can’t allow the Ravens defense to keep Baltimore in the game. Turnovers and sacks must be prevented. The level of play all-around has to be raised.
Cincinnati lost right guard Alex Cappa for the entire playoffs. Replacing him will be Max Scharping and probably Jackson Carman as well. They may both rotate in across the line. The entire right side of the offensive line, just like last season, is decimated with injuries. Don’t be surprised if the Ravens try to take advantage of that.
Like every year when the postseason comes around, the running game will be key. Cincinnati needs to establish a viable run game with Joe Mixon and Samaje Perine. The Bengals averaged 78 yards rushing against the Ravens in the regular season. Linebacker Roquan Smith is going to be a big difference-maker. The Bengals have to find a way to neutralize him. This Bengals offense will certainly rely on Burrow and the passing game, but a running game is a final piece.
The cornerback duo of Marlon Humphrey and Marcus Peters should be back at full strength. Depending on the formation, both Humphrey and Peters could switch between guarding Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. I still trust the wide receiver trio of Chase, Higgins and Tyler Boyd to step up.
Bengals Defense
The Bengals defense forced four turnovers in week 18 facing third-string quarterback Anthony Brown. You can never go wrong with forcing four turnovers defensively regardless of who you’re facing. The defense needs to be clutch and play their best just like they did last year on their way to Super Bowl 56. Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson will once again miss another week. Since Jackson has gone down, the Ravens offense is averaging 13 points a game.
Backup Tyler Huntley will be the most likely signal caller for Baltimore. Tight End Mark Andrews will also be back. He will be their most targeted pass catcher. A key matchup to watch defensively is defensive end Trey Hendrickson vs offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley. In week 18, Hendrickson had two sacks, four pressures, two QB hurries, and a forced fumble. The pass rush needs to continue to be alive and well going into the playoffs.
The Bengals defense still needs to stop the run facing this Baltimore offense. Running back J.K. Dobbins will be back in the lineup for the Ravens. Although Dobbins only played in eight regular season games, he averaged nearly six yards a carry. On paper, they don’t have the passing targets to keep up, so they will look for other ways offensively.
Prediction:
Bengals win 24-10
