The Cincinnati Bengals head to Baltimore this week for a 1:00 pm ET matchup with the Ravens, coming out of their bye while the Ravens try to steady themselves after a close loss to the Browns in Cleveland.
It’s a tight spot in the division. Baltimore enters at 4-2, just a half game ahead of Cincinnati, and the Bengals have a chance to pull the Ravens down to 4-3 while moving to 4-2 themselves. If they want their first AFC North victory of 2026, the path is pretty clear.
The first job is handling Derrick Henry. The Ravens’ workhorse already has 534 rushing yards this season, and even after his lowest total of the year against Cleveland - 58 yards - he remains the kind of back who can grind a defense down.
There are other moving parts to worry about too, from Justice Hill to Zay Flowers on jet sweeps and the threat of Lamar Jackson or Snoop Huntley escaping the pocket. But Henry is the one who can really wear a team out.
Cincinnati will need to do a better job against outside zone runs, because teams have found more success attacking the perimeter than pounding straight ahead. That kind of stop won’t come from one player or one position group; it’s a full defense assignment for the line, linebackers and secondary alike.
On the other side of the ball, the Bengals should be ready to test Baltimore’s pass defense early. The Ravens are allowing 210 passing yards per game, which puts them 13th in the league, and they’ve also been solid against the run, ranking 12th.
Still, the schedule hasn’t exactly forced them to prove it against elite passing offenses. Their opponents so far have been the Colts, Saints, Cowboys, Titans, Falcons and Browns, and the Cowboys are the only team from that group sitting in the top 15 in passing yards per game.
Cincinnati, meanwhile, has the 8th-best passing attack at 260 yards per game. That’s where the Bengals can make their mark.
Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase give Cincinnati the league’s best receiver pairing, and Dohnte Meyers has given the offense a boost with his recent stretch of play. Colbie Young is expected back in the mix this week after returning from injury.
If the Bengals want to open up the rest of the offense, the passing game is the place to start. That means taking shots, creating explosives and letting the playmakers do the damage before worrying too much about balancing everything out on the ground.
There’s also the matter of Trey Hendrickson, who has been the Ravens’ most dangerous pass rusher despite missing a couple of games with a hand injury. He still leads the team in pressures with 20 in just four games, and he has two sacks to his name.
Cincinnati knows exactly what he can do, so expect help on his side throughout the afternoon. A tight end next to Orlando Brown Jr. figures to show up often, and the Bengals will likely lean on chips from tight ends and running backs whenever they drop back to throw.
If they can keep Hendrickson from wrecking the pocket, the downfield passing game has a real chance to take over.
If Cincinnati handles Henry, creates those explosives through the air and keeps Hendrickson from disrupting the rhythm, it has a clear shot at a big road win in Baltimore.
In Other News...
Bengals Head Into Ravens Test With One Defensive Problem To Fix
A familiar divisional test is waiting for Cincinnati in Week 7, and the defensive staff already has one issue circled. Al Golden pointed to perimeter run defense as the area that needs the most work after the Bengals gave up too many explosive outside runs through the first five games, a problem that can turn a routine snap into a long gain in a hurry. Against Baltimore, that kind of leak becomes even more dangerous because the Ravens are built to stretch defenses horizontally before attacking downhill.
Derrick Henry is the obvious stress point, and Cincinnati knows the game could tilt if it lets Baltimore dictate terms on the ground. Zac Taylor has also framed the matchup through the turnover battle, which adds another layer to a game that figures to be physical and possession-heavy. For the Bengals, the challenge is not just slowing one of the leagues most punishing backs, but doing it while cleaning up a run defense issue that has shown up too often already. [Read more 🡒]
Bengals Trade Talk Is Suddenly Focusing On A More Realistic Fix
The Bengals running game has become a lingering concern, and it has put Chase Browns uneven season squarely in the spotlight as the trade deadline chatter starts to build. Jonathan Taylor is the obvious name to float if Cincinnati wants a bigger swing, but the more practical conversation has shifted toward other backs who could be available and better fit what the offense needs right now.
Among the alternatives being discussed are Omarion Hampton, Cam Skatterbo and Tony Pollard, each of them representing a different kind of fix for a ground game that has not found enough consistency. The appeal is not just talent, but realism: Cincinnati has to weigh who might actually be obtainable, who could help quickly and which move would make the most sense for a team trying to stabilize its offense without overreaching. [Read more 🡒]
Ja'Marr Chase Finally Opened Up About That Scary Bengals Injury
Ja'Marr Chase finally gave a clearer picture of the concussion that briefly took him off the field after the Bengals game against Jacksonville, and the detail helps explain why it looked so unsettling in real time. Speaking on a podcast, Chase described it as a whiplash-style injury caused by a twisting motion, the kind of hit that can leave a player feeling fine one moment and scrambled the next.
He also walked through the leagues concussion protocol and what the recovery week was like before he got back on the field against Miami. Chase said he had to stay away from screens and leaned on reading to pass the time, a small but telling reminder of how carefully these injuries are managed once a player is in the protocol. [Read more 🡒]