The Cincinnati Bengals will be without rookie edge rusher Shemar Stewart for their Week 15 clash against the Baltimore Ravens, officially ruling him out despite a full week of practice. Stewart remains on injured reserve, where he’s been sidelined since suffering a knee injury in mid-November.
This marks another blow to a Bengals pass rush already missing its anchor, Trey Hendrickson, who was placed on IR earlier this week. With both of their top edge defenders unavailable, Cincinnati will once again turn to its depth-a group that proved more than capable the last time these two teams met.
Back on Thanksgiving, the Bengals’ defense didn’t blink without Hendrickson or Stewart. Instead, they turned up the heat on Lamar Jackson, pressuring him on nearly 40% of his dropbacks, per NextGenStats.
That was their second-highest pressure rate of the season, and it wasn’t just empty heat-it translated into real disruption. Joseph Ossai, now in his fifth year, stepped up in a big way, registering eight pressures, two sacks, and forcing a fumble, according to Pro Football Focus.
The unit also forced five turnovers and held Baltimore to just a 30% success rate on third downs-an impressive showing, especially considering the circumstances.
That performance gives the Bengals some breathing room heading into Sunday, even with Stewart still sidelined. The No. 17 overall pick hasn’t made much of an impact in his rookie campaign.
After a drawn-out contract negotiation delayed his start, Stewart has struggled to find his footing. His pressure rate sits below 8% by both PFF and NGS metrics, and he’s yet to record a sack or a tackle for loss.
Injuries haven’t helped-he missed time in September with a low ankle sprain and now finds himself battling back from this knee issue.
So while the Bengals would obviously prefer to have their first-rounder on the field, his absence might not drastically alter their defensive outlook-at least not based on what we've seen so far. The real key lies with Ossai and the rest of Cincinnati’s front, who will need to replicate their Thanksgiving-level energy if they want to keep Jackson contained again.
Baltimore’s offensive line, meanwhile, knows what’s coming. They’ll have to be sharper this time around if they want to take full advantage of a Bengals defense that still ranks near the bottom of the league statistically. But if Cincinnati’s pass rush can bring the same chaos it did in the first meeting, this rematch could get interesting in a hurry.