The Ravens know exactly where Sunday’s matchup with the Bengals can go sideways, and it starts on the outside. Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins are the kind of trio that can flip a game fast, which is why Baltimore is leaning hard on Nate Wiggins and Marlon Humphrey to hold up at cornerback.
That’s a lot to ask, but it comes with the territory. Wiggins and Humphrey are Baltimore’s top two corners, and they’ll be the ones tasked with handling the boundary work against one of the league’s most dangerous receiving tandems.
Both have opened the season well, and Baltimore’s defense is coming off its best outing of the year. Still, the Ravens need more than solid.
They need both corners to look like stars.
Nobody is expecting a perfect shutdown job on Chase and Higgins. That’s not how this matchup works. The goal is to make life harder, squeeze the windows, and keep Cincinnati from turning the game into a track meet.
The talent is there for Baltimore. Wiggins arrived as a 2024 first-round pick, while Humphrey is under a five-year, $97.5 million contract for a reason.
Both are also in bounce-back seasons under Jesse Minter, and the early numbers show that improvement. Wiggins has a 68.6 overall grade from Pro Football Focus, while Humphrey sits at 71.4.
That said, the Ravens’ secondary has already had some rough moments this year. Chris Olave did plenty of damage in Week 2, and CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens carved things up in Week 3. Chase and Higgins have the same kind of game-breaking ability, and Baltimore can’t afford a repeat.
There’s belief inside the building, though. Trenton Simpson made that clear when talking about the challenge facing Baltimore’s corners.
Ravens linebacker Trenton Simpson on the matchup between Baltimore's CBs vs. Bengals WRs: "This is the game where you challenge Ja'Marr Chase, you challenge Tee Higgins.
And I like our guys. I love Nate Wiggins and I love Marlon Humphrey.
And I believe that those are the two guys…
Chase is the obvious headline. Even though he and Burrow haven’t yet recreated their usual explosive connection in 2026, Chase is still one of the league’s premier receivers and always seems to have a big day waiting for him against Baltimore. Over his career against the Ravens, he has 75 catches for 1,204 yards and 8 touchdowns, including six games with at least 100 yards and two of those going over 200.
Higgins has been just as dangerous, and in 2026 he’s actually been the more productive of the two. He has 27 receptions for 423 yards and a touchdown so far, and in Week 4 he put together one of the best games of his career with 11 catches for 157 yards against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Together, they give Cincinnati a receiver pairing that can punish almost any coverage. Baltimore’s best chance is to make the matchups physical.
Wiggins and Humphrey often work from zone looks and off the line, but against Chase and Higgins, that kind of cushion could be costly. The Ravens will need them tighter, more disruptive, and much more aggressive.
And the pressure on the defense gets even heavier depending on who is under center. Lamar Jackson was limited in Wednesday’s practice, but that was his first action in 17 days and he didn’t take real reps. If Tyler Huntley gets the start, Baltimore’s defense may have to carry even more of the load.
Huntley has shown he can play, but not enough to single-handedly power a dangerous offense. If the running game and screen game stall, he could be forced into tough spots.
This is usually the kind of game Cincinnati can drag into a shootout. Baltimore cannot let that happen on Sunday. Wiggins and Humphrey are at the center of that mission.
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