One of the fiercest rivalries in football renews on Sunday afternoon when the Baltimore Ravens visit the Cincinnati Bengals for both teams’ first AFC North battle of the season.
The teams have combined to win the past three division titles and five of the past six. Baltimore (2-2) dethroned two-time AFC North champion Cincinnati last year and is coming off two straight wins to level its record this season.
The Ravens scored a 35-10 win over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday night, a game that featured an 87-yard touchdown run from Derrick Henry on Baltimore’s first play from scrimmage. Henry enters Week 5 leading the NFL in rushing with 480 yards, while the Ravens are leading the league on the ground as a team at 220.3 rushing yards per game.
Henry is on the brink of two major milestones. The 30-year-old back needs just one touchdown to reach 100 for his career (includes rushing and receiving) and is 18 rushing yards shy of the 10,000-yard plateau.
“There’s a lot of things about Derrick that make him unique — talent is one of them for sure, and work ethic is another one for sure,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. “He’s just a very tough human being.
“Really, the proof is in the results, and you kind of go by what you see. So, when we were evaluating the possibility of bringing him in here, I just think we looked at how he’s been playing. And to see that continue on obviously is great, but we did expect him to play this way, and we’re excited about it.”
Behind a season-best 141 yards on the ground as a team and a pair of rushing scores from Chase Brown, the Bengals (1-3) earned their first win of the season last Sunday in Charlotte, a 34-24 decision against the Carolina Panthers. Cincinnati built a 17-point lead late in the third quarter, scoring a touchdown at the end of the first half and on the first possession of the second.
Ja’Marr Chase scored on a brilliant 63-yard catch-and-run while Joe Burrow completed 22 of 31 passes for 232 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. The Bengals have totaled 67 points in their past two games.
“We’re confident in our group. We’re rolling on offense right now,” Burrow said. “We’ve still left some points out there, which when you score 33, 34 back-to-back and you feel like you’ve left points on the board, that’s a good spot to be as an offense. We’re gonna continue to chase perfection, try to score on every drive. It’s a big opportunity. We thrive in these moments.
“We’re excited about it in front of our fans that we’re gonna need on Sunday. I hope they’re excited, too. We’re putting in the work this week to go out and put our best foot forward.”
The Ravens swept the season series between the teams in 2023 after the squads split a pair of games in 2022.
The Bengals hope to get some defensive reinforcements on Sunday. Defensive end Myles Murphy and defensive tackle McKinnley Jackson began practicing this week and could be activated in time for the game against Baltimore. Both practiced in full this week but are listed as questionable.
Star defensive end Trey Hendrickson (neck/back) returned to full practice Friday and will play Sunday, as will defensive tackle B.J. Hill, who returned to practice after a Week 2 hamstring injury. Defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins (hamstring) is doubtful and cornerback Mike Hilton (knee) is questionable after both sat out practice all week.
Ravens corner Arthur Maulet (knee/hamstring) was ruled out after not practicing Thursday or Friday. Linebacker Chris Board (ankle) returned to full practice Thursday and Friday and will play Sunday. Wide receiver Deonte Harty (knee), running back Rasheen Ali (neck) and offensive lineman Andrew Vorhees (ankle) are questionable despite full practices Friday.
