The Bengals’ pass rush did its job in Baltimore, even without one of the team’s most notable young defenders in the lineup.
Cincinnati rolled to a 35-13 win over the Ravens on the road in Week 7, rallying from a 13-point halftime deficit. With Lamar Jackson out because of a high-ankle sprain, Baltimore turned to Tyler Huntley, and the Bengals made life miserable for him. Huntley was dropped four times and finished at minus-22 yards.
What stood out almost as much as the performance was who wasn’t on the field: 2025 first-round pick Shemar Stewart, who was made a healthy scratch for the game.
On Monday, head coach Zac Taylor addressed the move and pointed to the depth of the defensive line as the main reason Stewart was inactive.
“It’s a really deep D-line group and it’s really tough to choose who’s gonna be inactive there,” Taylor said, via Pro Football Talk. “Keep encouraging him (Stewart) because he’s doing everything the right way and he’s really making the progress we’re hoping to see.
I don’t want to do that every week, but we’re gonna have to be creative with where we pull from. That’s just part of it.”
Stewart has three total tackles and one sack this season.
Cincinnati dressed nine players for Sunday’s game, and Stewart was not among them. For a first-round pick, that’s a tough message to absorb, especially in a game where the Bengals’ defensive front clearly had plenty left in the tank.
If Stewart isn’t going to crack the active list, he could become a name to watch before the Nov. 10 trade deadline. The Texas A&M standout may be in need of a new landing spot.
Through six games, the Bengals have piled up 21 sacks, a number that reflects how much their front seven has turned itself around after the offseason trade with the New York Giants for defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence.
In Other News...
Ravens Let A Bengals Rally Turn Into Something Even More Frustrating
For a half, the Ravens had the Bengals right where they wanted them. Baltimore carried a 13-0 lead into the break and had Cincinnatis offense looking stuck, before JaMarr Chase stepped into the middle of the locker room message and pushed his teammates to pick it up on offense.
What followed only sharpened the frustration for Baltimore. The Bengals came out with a different edge and ripped off 35 straight points to turn the game completely around, and afterward Chases presence as a leader drew notice from both sides, including linebacker Demetrius Knight Jr. For the Ravens, it was the kind of collapse that lingers because it did not just become a loss, it became a lesson in how quickly a game can flip once the other sideline finds its voice. [Read more 🡒]
Ravens Line Takes Another Hit As Key Young Starter Faces Absence
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Ioanes absence adds another layer of uncertainty to a line that has had to hold up through a physical season. The injury came on a play that had nothing to do with pass protection, during a Justice Hill reception when Demetrius Knights tackle led to a helmet-to-knee hit, leaving the Ravens to figure out how long theyll be without one of their most trusted young blockers. [Read more 🡒]
Ravens Suddenly Have A Derrick Henry Problem They Can't Ignore
Derrick Henry has carried a heavy load for Baltimore through the first part of the season, and the results have not looked like the version of the Ravens offense that was built to bully opponents on the ground. The running game has been grinding through a mix of line issues and injuries to key players, with coaches and Henry both acknowledging that the unit needs to be better if the offense is going to find its rhythm.
The larger concern is that this is not just a short-term dip for one back, but a warning sign for an attack that has leaned on the run to set everything else up. Lamar Jackson is still working his way back from an ankle injury, and until he is fully available, Baltimore has to solve a rushing problem that keeps putting more pressure on Henry and an offensive line that has not consistently opened the kind of space this scheme expects. [Read more 🡒]