Two AFC North rivals looking to make a major statement on the national stage meet Thursday night when the Baltimore Ravens host the Cincinnati Bengals in a rematch of an overtime thriller earlier this season.
On Oct. 6 in Cincinnati, Baltimore trailed by 10 points three times in the second half but tied the game in the last two minutes. The Ravens then overcame a turnover in overtime to edge the Bengals 41-38.
The Ravens (6-3), who are second in the North, one-half game behind the Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2), are coming off a 41-10 rout of the Denver Broncos on Sunday in Baltimore. Star quarterback Lamar Jackson completed 16 of 19 passes for 280 yards and three touchdowns.
The high-powered Ravens, who have scored 41 points three times this season, sport the NFL’s No. 1 offense, averaging 445.9 yards per game. Jackson, a two-time MVP, leads the NFL in passer rating (120.7) and has thrown 20 touchdowns with just two interceptions in nine games.
Baltimore’s top-ranked ground attack is averaging 191.9 yards a game, led by Derrick Henry, who leads the league in rushing yards with 1,052 and total touchdowns with 13, (11 rushing, two receiving).
“We have been really good at running the ball for a long time, but Derrick Henry is different,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. “He is adding a dimension that we have not had before. You go back to Jamal Lewis, maybe. This is different, and I’m excited about it.”
Jackson looks to improve upon his impressive 9-1 record in 10 lifetime starts against Cincinnati.
“The first game we played (against Cincinnati) this season, they were showing me all types of looks, so there’s no telling what they (are) going to be doing this game,” Jackson said. “Hopefully, it’d be probably the same, because we put up a lot of points.”
The Bengals (4-5) are also coming off a 41-point game, having clobbered the Las Vegas Raiders 41-24 for their first home win of the season.
Joe Burrow completed his first 15 pass attempts and matched a career best with five touchdown passes, becoming the only NFL quarterback with five touchdown passes in multiple games this season. The first was in the loss to the Ravens.
Despite the performance against the Raiders, Burrow was unhappy on the sideline with his offensive execution in the third quarter, slamming his helmet to the ground in frustration.
“I’m going to have my standard of play, and I’m going to have my idea of the standard of what we should live up to as an offense — the coaching staff, and myself, and everybody,” Burrow said. “When I feel like we live up to it. I’m going to let us know. And when I feel like we don’t live up to it, I’m going to let us know, too. It’s a short week.”
The Bengals’ offense has been hit hard by injuries in the past week. They lost rookie tight end Erick All Jr. to a torn right ACL in the first half against the Raiders, while running back Chase Brown sustained a rib injury and is hoping to be able to play through it.
Running back Zack Moss, who had the bulk of the carries early in the season, is out indefinitely with a neck injury, prompting the Bengals to acquire Khalil Herbert from Chicago on Tuesday. Cincinnati rarely makes trades during the season.
The Bengals hope to have star receiver Tee Higgins back after missing the last two weeks with a quadriceps injury. Starting left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. missed Sunday’s game with a right knee injury and is also hoping to return.
Defensive end Trey Hendrickson racked up four sacks against the Raiders, bringing his season total to a league-leading 11.
“If they gave out midseason awards, that would be something you could get excited about, but they don’t, so it’s on to the next challenge, and that’s the Ravens,” Hendrickson said.
