The biggest question hanging over Week 7 is simple: will Lamar Jackson suit up against the Bengals?
That uncertainty looms over a Baltimore team that has already spent two games without its two-time MVP. Jackson has not practiced in two weeks and missed the Ravens’ last two contests, leaving Tyler Huntley to handle the offense. Huntley helped Baltimore escape Atlanta with an overtime win in his first start, but the unit stalled badly against the Browns last Sunday.
Even with that uneven stretch, Baltimore sits at 1-1 in those games, which is a decent return when you’re missing one of the most impactful players in the sport. More importantly, the extra rest could leave Jackson closer to full strength for what comes next. For now, though, the immediate challenge is Cincinnati, which opened the week as a 2.5-point underdog for its trip to Baltimore, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
That number could move once the Ravens’ first injury report of the week lands later Wednesday afternoon, especially if Jackson’s status gets clarity. Other names on the report, including trade acquisition Cam Jurgens, could matter too, even if they don’t shift the betting line much. Jurgens is in line for his Ravens debut against a Cincinnati front anchored by Dexter Lawrence and Jonathan Allen, assuming he gets through concussion protocol in time to play.
The matchup itself has all the ingredients Baltimore would rather not deal with if Jackson is still sidelined: a pass-heavy Cincinnati offense, a defense that can be ordinary outside of its pass rush, and the kind of game that can turn into a track meet. Those are the sorts of games where Huntley has to be efficient, and that is a much taller order than it is with Jackson on the field.
And if Jackson does not go, Ravens head coach Jesse Minter faces a brutal assignment trying to slow Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. Those three have given Baltimore plenty of problems before, and they’ll be out for payback after last year’s shutout.
Baltimore’s last two games also offered a strange split in what Minter has been asking for. In Atlanta, the Ravens came up with their best work exactly when they needed it, winning the final four drives and rallying from an eight-point hole for the third time that night before taking the game in overtime.
Against Cleveland, though, the fourth quarter flipped the other way: a missed field goal and a fumble opened the door, and the offense answered those chances with three-and-outs. The defense was strong for most of the afternoon, but it couldn’t keep the Browns out of the end zone after the fumble and later surrendered a 33-yard completion on third-and-five that set up the winning field goal.
That’s the danger here. It is easy to picture Baltimore smothering Cincinnati on early downs and then watching the Bengals cash in with third-down throws to Chase and Higgins anyway. Cincinnati’s 25.6-point average looks like a tough ask for Huntley unless the Ravens’ revamped offensive line clicks immediately.
If Jackson plays, the entire picture changes. It’s Lamar Jackson, after all. And with Ja’Kobi Lane, a proper center, and the team’s best guard back in his natural spot, Baltimore could be set up for a very different kind of night.
In Other News...
Ravens Face A Costly Colts Debate After Cam Jurgens Trade
The Ravens have already made one significant move up front by trading for center Cam Jurgens, and that addition naturally has the front office thinking bigger as the deadline chatter heats up. With Indianapolis in a shaky spot after a rough start and a change in leadership, the market has started to form around veteran Colts talent that could appeal to Baltimore if it wants to keep fortifying the trenches for the stretch run.
Two names keep surfacing in that conversation: Quenton Nelson and DeForest Buckner. Both would bring obvious impact, but the fit is not simple, because the cost in salary and draft capital could make either deal difficult to justify. Analysts are split on whether Baltimore should press for another major upgrade or leave the Jurgens move as the headlining addition, which leaves the Ravens weighing upside against the price of doing business. [Read more 🡒]
Derrick Henrys Growing Issue Is Becoming A Real Ravens Problem
Derrick Henrys early-season ball-security issues have started to hang over Baltimore in a way the Ravens cant really ignore. Since the start of the 2025 season, Henry has put the ball on the ground four times, which is the second-most in the NFL over that span, and the latest one came in a Week 6 loss to Cleveland that the Ravens could ill afford while already short-handed.
The timing made the mistake sting even more, with Lamar Jackson and Cam Jurgens both out for that game as Baltimore tried to piece things together offensively. Henry has long been central to what the Ravens want to do, but when turnovers start tilting field position and shifting momentum, it becomes more than a bad stretch for one player - it becomes a problem the whole team has to manage. [Read more 🡒]
Ravens Already Face An Uncomfortable Question About Their Costly Signing
John Simpson arrived in Baltimore in March 2026 on a three-year, $30 million deal, the kind of investment that is supposed to stabilize the interior of an offensive line and make life easier for everyone else around it. Instead, the early returns have put the Ravens in an awkward spot, because the guards play through the first six weeks has not matched the price tag attached to him.
The concern is not just one bad stretch, either. Simpson has given up pressure in pass protection, absorbed a sack and carried over some penalty issues from earlier in his career, which makes the contract look even harder to justify right now. For a Ravens team that expected this move to solve a problem, the bigger question is whether this is simply an early-season wobble or a sign that the front office may have paid for more than it received. [Read more 🡒]