The Ravens head into Week 7 knowing exactly what the problem is: no Lamar Jackson, and a Bengals team that looks like a brutal draw even before the ball is snapped. Baltimore Beatdown’s staffers all landed in the same general neighborhood on this one - the Ravens can hang around if the defense makes plays, but the offense has a thin margin for error with Tyler Huntley running the show.
For Nikhil Mehta, the matchup turns immediately to the trenches and to a familiar Cincinnati threat. He pointed to Baltimore’s offensive line finally getting its best five together, but said that still leaves a first game snapping to Tyler Huntley in a new offense.
On the other side, he noted the same old Bengals danger: Joe Burrow to Ja’Marr Chase for “first down or a touchdown at all of the worst moments.” Still, he left room for one Raven to change the script, naming Ja’Kobi Lane as the X-factor.
Huntley, he wrote, needs a quarterback-friendly target who can win contested catches, and Lane’s work over the middle could make him the kind of safety valve who can keep drives alive. Mehta even called it a strong spot for Lane’s first regular-season touchdown.
Frank Platko took a similar view of the offense’s limits, saying that with no Lamar Jackson, the Ravens will again be capped on that side of the ball. That puts the burden on a defense that has already shown it can carry the load, but likely needs turnovers to really tilt the game.
He said a takeaway or two could give the offense short fields, while the pass rush has to stay relentless against Burrow and that dangerous Cincinnati passing attack. Platko’s X-factor was Cam Jurgens, who is coming off a concussion and stepping into his first game as a Raven.
He warned that expecting too much from Jurgens in that spot may be unfair, but if Dexter Lawrence gets the better of him in one-on-one work, the offensive plan could collapse fast.
Kevin McNelis was even more direct about where the balance of power sits. He said last week “wasn’t pretty,” and while Baltimore has gotten a few pieces healthier, it is also down Tavius Robinson and still without Jackson.
Against a Bengals team he described as well-rounded, and one that has given the Ravens’ secondary trouble even in games Baltimore has won over the last few seasons, McNelis sees the same formula: Derrick Henry needs help, and the defense has to manufacture field position. He singled out Zion Young, Mike Green, and Keondre Jackson as next men up with Jaylinn Hawkins out, saying they have a chance to earn bigger roles if they step into the spotlight.
McNelis also made Jackson his X-factor and added, “My heart has hope, but my head feels like it knows where this game goes.” He predicted Bengals 27, Ravens 16.
Dustin Cox framed the challenge in the simplest terms: any game without Lamar Jackson is tough, and a divisional game against a Bengals team coming off a bye week makes it even harder with a backup quarterback. For Baltimore to steal it with Huntley, he said the run game has to get going behind Derrick Henry, who was bottled up by the Browns last week and couldn’t be masked by the passing game.
Cox said a classic Henry outing would give the Ravens a real shot, but he also stressed that Cincinnati’s aerial attack is a major problem, with Joe Burrow throwing to Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. He pointed out that Baltimore’s secondary has done well limiting explosive plays downfield, but Chase and Higgins will test that.
Cox expects the Ravens to battle, but not to generate enough offense over four quarters without Jackson. His X-factor was Trey Hendrickson, whom he described as eager to face his former team, with the pass rush needing to do its part to keep Burrow from controlling the game through the air.
In Other News...
Cam Jurgens Faces A Ravens Test That Could Decide The Run Game
Cam Jurgens is back in the mix and set to make his Ravens debut Sunday after clearing concussion protocol and getting in a full week of practice. For a Baltimore offense that wants to lean on the run game, the timing matters. Jurgens steps straight into a matchup with the Bengals defensive front, where the interior battle could go a long way toward determining whether the ground attack gets traction or spends the afternoon stuck in neutral.
A big part of that challenge comes with Dexter Lawrence, a familiar name from Jurgens NFC East days and one of the most difficult linemen he has to handle. Baltimore does not need a reminder of how disruptive that kind of force can be in the middle, which is why this game feels like more than just a debut. If Jurgens can hold up on the interior, it could open up the kind of lanes the Ravens have been looking for. If not, the offense may have to find another way to manufacture movement. [Read more 🡒]
Ravens Face A Bigger Problem Than Just Lamar Missing Sunday
Lamar Jacksons absence for Sundays game against Cincinnati had been trending that way for days, but the Ravens finally made it official after three limited practices. Jackson was downgraded to out as he continues to work back from the left ankle injury that has already kept him out the past two games, leaving Baltimore to navigate another week without its quarterback while trying to keep its season on track.
The bigger concern may be the ripple effect elsewhere on the roster. Baltimore also put outside linebacker Tavius Robinson on injured reserve, a move that ends his season because of a pectoral injury, and added guard Kyle Hergel to the active roster. With Jackson sidelined again and another defensive piece gone for good, the Ravens are carrying the kind of injury load that can change the feel of a Sunday before it even starts. [Read more 🡒]
Ravens Need An Unexpected Boost In Biggest Test Yet
The Ravens head into a crucial AFC North matchup at M&T Bank Stadium needing more than the usual stars to carry the load. Lamar Jackson and the offense will get plenty of attention against Joe Burrow and JaMarr Chase, but the bigger question is whether Baltimore can get enough from the supporting cast after rookie offensive coordinator Declan Doyle offered a pointed critique of the units play. With injuries already thinning the tight end group and the defense, this feels like the kind of game where the margin can come from a role player rather than the headliners.
Baltimore also has some moving parts to sort through on the defensive side, where getting consistent heat on Burrow remains the obvious priority against a Bengals attack that can punish any lapse. The Ravens have been shuffling around in search of answers, and the matchup only gets tougher with the pass-rush workload shifting even more onto the players still available. Against a division rival with so many familiar weapons, the team may need one unexpected boost to tilt the game the right way. [Read more 🡒]