The Bengals head to Baltimore at 3-2 for a 1:00 p.m. ET kickoff against the 4-2 Ravens, a rare early start for a road trip to face their AFC North rival. For Cincinnati, the question is simple enough: can it grab a big divisional win, or does it fall to 0-2 in the division to open the year?
That answer will hinge on a handful of matchups across the field, starting up front with a familiar pair.
Trey Hendrickson and Orlando Brown Jr. will see plenty of each other again after their training camp scuffle in 2023, when Hendrickson wound up with claw marks on his neck after the two went at it. This time, the collision comes with real stakes.
Hendrickson is coming off a game against Cleveland in which he posted six pressures and a sack, and despite playing through a hand injury for much of the season, he should have plenty of motivation facing his former team. Brown, meanwhile, turned in what was arguably his best outing of the year against Miami a couple of weeks ago, allowing only one pressure and no sacks.
Even so, Cincinnati is expected to help Brown with chips from tight ends and running backs.
Another battle in the trenches will feature Vega Ioane against Dexter Lawrence. Cam Jurgens could make his debut at center for the Ravens this week after dealing with a concussion, and if that happens, Lawrence would be the heavyweight he has to handle.
If Jurgens is healthy, then Ioane gets the assignment from his guard spot instead. Either way, the rookie from Penn State is in for a test against a dominant interior force.
The 6-foot-4, 328-pound Ioane has already been one of Baltimore’s better linemen this season, splitting his six starts evenly between right guard and center. Lawrence has been doing damage all season for Cincinnati, piling up 19 pressures and 3 sacks while becoming a constant problem inside.
On the perimeter, Baltimore’s passing game will lean heavily on Zay Flowers, and that puts Dax Hill in the spotlight. Flowers has been the top target for both Lamar Jackson and Snoop Huntley this season, totaling 471 receiving yards in five games, with three carries for 34 yards on top of that.
He can hurt defenses in a hurry and is dangerous on jet screens, too. Hill has looked his best since moving back inside to the slot after Jalen Davis went to IR, allowing just 28 total yards over his last two games combined.
If he can duplicate that kind of performance against Flowers, more people are going to start talking about how well he’s playing there.
Then there’s the marquee matchup on the outside: Marlon Humphrey and Nate Wiggins against Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase. Baltimore’s secondary has been better this season than it has been in past years, and the numbers back that up.
The Ravens are 13th in the league in passing yards allowed through six games, and Humphrey and Wiggins have been a major reason why. Humphrey owns a 74.4 coverage grade this year, a huge jump from last season’s career-worst 43.8, while Wiggins has added a steady 68.8 coverage grade of his own.
But this is also the stiffest challenge they’ve seen yet.
Chase has 27 catches for 289 yards and 4 touchdowns in his first five games, and those totals would look even bigger if a concussion hadn’t knocked him out before halftime against the Jaguars. Higgins has matched him with 27 receptions of his own, and though he has only 1 receiving touchdown, his 423 yards lead the team through five games.
Even with Baltimore’s cornerback tandem playing well, Chase and Higgins still get the edge here. That should make for a fun afternoon on Sunday.
In Other News...
Bengals Safety Problems Keep Reviving One Painful Reunion Idea
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Bates left in free agency after the sides could not agree on guaranteed money, and his move to Atlanta has become one of those decisions the Bengals still feel whenever the secondary wobbles. The idea of bringing him back keeps resurfacing because it is easy to understand why it would make sense on the field, even if the path to getting there remains a long shot. Cincinnati may keep looking for fixes elsewhere, but the unresolved need at safety is what keeps reviving the old reunion talk. [Read more 🡒]
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Joe Burrow's Week 7 Standing Should Grab Bengals Fans' Attention
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Joe Burrows placement in that group is the part Bengals fans will notice most, especially as the AFC North remains unforgiving and every week seems to reshape the picture around him. The ranking does not settle anything on its own, but it does underline how much attention Burrows season is drawing and why his standing has become part of the larger discussion around Cincinnatis place in the league. [Read more 🡒]