The Bengals have spent years getting pushed around by Baltimore in the trenches. That’s the backdrop. But heading into 2026, Cincinnati looks a lot more capable of flipping that script.
The biggest reason is simple: the Bengals are no longer walking into this matchup with obvious weak spots on both lines. Their starting five up front on offense is intact, and that group finished the 2025 season on a much stronger note than it started.
Chase Brown’s numbers tell the story. He averaged just 2.7 yards per carry over the first six games of 2025, then jumped to 5.2 yards per carry from Weeks 7 through 18.
The pass protection followed a similar arc. Cincinnati’s 2025 offensive line ranked 16th in Pass Block Efficiency, according to PFF, but over the final 11 weeks it was fourth best.
In that stretch, the Bengals allowed just seven sacks, which also ranked fourth best. That kind of late-season growth matters when you’re talking about holding up against a Ravens front that has made life miserable for Joe Burrow in the past.
Burrow’s regular-season record against Baltimore since 2021 sits at 4-5, even though he has averaged 30.4 points per game in those nine AFC North games. The issue was never just Burrow. It was the constant pressure on him and the ability Baltimore had to control the line of scrimmage with Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry running downhill.
That edge may not be there anymore. Baltimore lost historically-paid center Tyler Linderbaum in free agency, and he had the job of getting Jackson’s offensive line organized and in sync.
The Ravens also no longer have Isaiah Likely or Charlie Kolar, which matters because Jackson leans heavily on his tight ends in the passing game. What was once a strength at that spot now looks like a real weakness.
Cincinnati’s own personnel changes could be even more important. The Bengals added Dexter Lawrence, an All-Pro nose tackle who commands double teams at a higher rate than any NFL defender.
They also brought in Jonathan Allen, giving them three experienced defensive tackles alongside B.J. Hill.
That matters because Cincinnati had the worst run defense in football last year, and Lawrence alone should change the shape of that unit.
That upgrade could also help the younger linebackers behind him. Barrett Carter and Demetrius Knight Jr. are in line to benefit, and the bar they need to clear is not especially high after their rookie seasons.
The ripple effect goes beyond the defense, too. If Cincinnati’s run game keeps moving the way it did late last season, the Bengals can stay more balanced, keep Baltimore’s offense on the sideline longer, and give their own defense more breathing room.
There’s also a timing angle here. Defenses tend to settle in faster during camp than offenses do, and Cincinnati already has continuity on offense with Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins in place. That gives the Bengals a head start while Baltimore works through a new offensive system and coaching staff.
The matchups up front lean Cincinnati’s way in other spots as well. Trey Hendrickson, now with Baltimore, should help the Ravens’ pass rush, but Orlando Brown Jr. has seen him plenty in practice over the years. On the other side, Mike Green’s potential Year 2 breakout will have to deal with Amarius Mims, one of the league’s premier ascending tackles.
There is some uncertainty on Baltimore’s side even with Nnamdi Madubuike back, since he is returning after missing an entire season because of a career-threatening neck injury.
So while Baltimore still carries the reputation edge, the Bengals may be the team leaving camp with the better answer in the areas that matter most. That is a big shift from where this rivalry has lived for years.
In Other News...
Bengals May Have A Cheap Answer To A Familiar Backfield Fear
The Bengals have spent enough time worrying about backfield depth to know the drill: one injury, one slump, one unexpected workload spike, and the conversation changes fast. With that in mind, a modest trade idea has surfaced that would give Cincinnati another runner to lean on without forcing a major investment, especially after the Chargers added more bodies to their own backfield and made one of their younger runners easier to imagine moving.
For Cincinnati, the appeal is straightforward. The club already has Chase Brown and Samaje Perine in place, but the season has a way of testing how sturdy that arrangement really is, and a low-cost addition could help keep the offense from getting thin if the depth chart is stressed. The question now is whether the price stays in the range the Bengals would like, because the framework for a deal is there, even if the final details still need to line up. [Read more 🡒]
Bengals May Finally Have Their Answer Protecting Joe Burrow
Amarius Mims was thrown into the fire early in his rookie season, and the early returns have only made the Bengals more optimistic about what he can become. The right tackle has shown steady improvement since then, and with Cincinnatis 2025 starting offensive line set to return intact, there is a growing sense that the team may have found a long-term answer on the edge to help keep Joe Burrow upright.
Mims is expected to keep working on the right side alongside Dalton Risner, whose presence has been part of that development curve. Mims has publicly credited Risner for helping him grow, and if that progression continues, the Bengals could be looking at a much sturdier foundation than they have had in recent years. The bigger payoff may not come immediately, but the trajectory points toward Mims being a real breakout candidate in 2026. [Read more 🡒]
Bengals May Finally Have A Way To Protect Joe Burrow
Joe Burrow has spent enough summers dealing with bad luck that the Bengals have reason to be careful this time around. Over the years, his training camps have been interrupted by a knee injury, an appendix issue, a wrist injury and turf toe, the kind of run that makes every rep in July feel a little heavier than it should.
This time, Cincinnati may have a little more room to manage it. With Joe Flacco and Josh Johnson in the quarterback room, and with the coaching staff still intact and all 11 offensive starters back, the Bengals are in a better position to ease Burrows workload during 2026 camp without losing much continuity on offense. For a team built around its quarterback, that kind of stability could matter as much as anything else. [Read more 🡒]