I asked in last week’s preview article: how would the Ravens bounce back after a tough loss? Well they may not have dominated the boxscore in the manner that some fans would have hoped, but they won handily and controlled the game from start to finish. By early in the 2nd quarter there was never any doubt who was going to win the game, and even though it wasn’t a perfect performance there were a lot of boxes that were ticked, especially after an ugly loss the previous game.
The Ravens now come back home to play their second Divisional game of the season, this time against Cincinnati Bengals who are coming off of their first win of the year. The Bengals are an improved team, largely because of the presence of #1 overall draft pick Joe Burrow. Head Coach Zac Taylor has given a lot of responsibility to his rookie signal-caller, and the Bengals offense is starting to round into form. Burrow has had his share of struggles, but he has shown remarkable poise for a rookie QB that is playing behind a suspect offensive line.
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The one thing that Burrow has going for him is a legitimate group of offensive playmakers, and for the first time in a decade that list of talent doesn’t begin with the name A.J. Green. Tyler Boyd has emerged as Burrow’s #1 receiver and his #2 option has been fellow rookie Tee Higgins. Meanwhile former top 10 pick John Ross has become a healthy scratch on gamedays and A.J. Green frankly looks old and slow. Green and Burrow just have not seemed to have formed any chemistry on the field, and while that may change, Higgins and Boyd have proven to be more dynamic options.
RB Joe Mixon got off to a slow start this season, but he had a breakout game last week versus Jacksonville and his involvement in the offense was key to the team’s success. Mixon and the Bengals will likely find the Ravens a more difficult match-up than the Jaguars. After a rough week 1, the Ravens defense has solidified against the run and they own the 3rd best run defense DVOA rating while the Bengals are middle of the pack running the ball on offense.
On the other side of this match-up, the Ravens have one of the best rushing attacks in the NFL even if it has seemed to not quite click at the same level it was in 2019. The Ravens are still averaging 160.8 yards per game on the ground, 3rd best in the NFL and average 5.4 YPC, good for 2nd best in the league. Meanwhile the Bengals have struggled to stop the run and are allowing opposing teams to pick up 4.9 YPC while ranking 21st in run defense DVOA. It seems like a clear mis-match on paper that I would like to see the Ravens offense take advantage of.
A few things I will be looking for:
How will Wink Martindale plan for Joe Burrow?
I expected that the Ravens were going to throw the kitchen sink at Dwayne Haskins last week. He’s a young QB that has not demonstrated the ability to consistently make the throws necessary to win games in the NFL. More blitzing and deception could have potentially led to a much different box-score.
In hindsight, I think there is a chance Martindale and the Ravens were looking ahead to this game. Burrow is a rookie, but he is already a considerably more advanced passer than Haskins. I have a feeling they didn’t want to show their hand and put all of their moves on film ahead of a divisional game. This is a game where we might see Wink dial up the pressure. The Bengals do not have a good offensive line, and I think this is a game where you try to rattle the young passer.
Better execution by the offense
The Ravens offense has not yet begun hitting on all cylinders. Part of that is likely due to it still being early in the season, having a very unique offseason, and also personnel changes. Every single game there seem to be a handful of plays where the offense just looks out of sync. We’ve seen missed blocks, drops, receivers running into each other, and players who just don’t seem like they know what they are supposed to do on the field. At some point, the Ravens offense needs to start ironing out these issues, and week 5 against a divisional opponent seems like a great time for them to start figuring it out.
Marlon Humphrey vs Tyler Boyd
It seems like there has always been a Bengals receiver that was a thorn in the Ravens side from Chad Ochocinco to A.J. Green. That player may now be Tyler Boyd, whose late game TD famously ruined the Ravens playoff hopes in 2017, and as previously mentioned Boyd has emerged as Joe Burrow’s favorite target and one of the better slot receivers in the NFL.
I am looking forward to seeing how Ravens star CB Marlon Humphrey matches up with Boyd as Humphrey plays almost entirely in the slot now that Tavon Young has been lost for the season. Humphrey has been a playmaker for the Ravens this year, shutting down opposing WRs and forcing turnovers at an impressive rate. Who wins this match-up could go a long way towards deciding what the final score in this game looks like.
Patrick Queen in coverage
Patrick Queen has been the topic of a lot of conversations among Ravens fans, and he has found his way into this preview article two weeks in a row. He had a great game away Washington in run defense, but he continues to struggle against the pass. I will be looking for two things: first, is he given simpler assignments or can he start learning from his mistakes and second, if he doesn’t seem to be improving, will he begin to lose snaps to L.J. Fort and/or Malik Harrison who have both looked better in coverage. I am not ready to abandon hope that Queen be a very good three down LB for the Ravens, but he needs to start showing better on the field sooner rather than later or he will turn into liability that teams will look to expose.
Final Thoughts
For the second week in a row, the Ravens are nearly two TD favorites depending on where you look. There seem to be a segment of Ravens fans that think this team is not where it needs to be, but Vegas still thinks this team is one of the best in the NFL and I am in agreement with sportsbooks.
Lamar Jackson missed practice today with a “minor” knee injury. I think it is likely that he will play on Sunday, but it is certainly worth monitoring as we get closer to gametime. And while we are talking about Jackson, some of the throws he made last week on the move were exceptional. His accuracy downfield has improved so much since his rookie season it is hard to imagine he is the same QB.
Everything about this game suggests the Ravens should win handily, but Bengals games have a weird way of not going as expected. I think the Ravens offense will put up points in this one, so I would be surprised if they don’t score at least 30, but I also think there is a chance Joe Burrow and the Bengals figure out a way to hang around. I’m going to say the Ravens win this one, but a late TD by the Bengals makes it a close final score, Ravens 33 – Bengals 27.
Ravens Analyst
Gabe is an avid fan of the NFL and Ravens football. He grew up in Westminster, MD, and attended college at Johns Hopkins University majoring in Biology. He earned his Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from the University of California, Los Angeles, and now works as a R&D Scientist developing Transplant Diagnostics assays. Gabe has appeared as a guest on 105.7 The Fan.