The Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals are one of the best matchups of the year on Thursday Night Football thus far, and maybe the best. Both teams bounced back from losses last week, with Cincy pummeling Las Vegas and Baltimore doing the same to Denver. This is a matchup that we saw once in Week 5, when the Ravens got a OT win on the road. Both Joe Burrow and Lamar Jackson played excellent and a key missed field goal by Evan Mcpherson led to a Ravens victory.
Fast forward to Week 10 and the two are set to square off in Baltimore. The rivalry is fairly even, with the Ravens having won 6 of 10 since 2020. Ahead of this marquee matchup with Cincy trying to reach .500 for this season, we look at the three matchups within this one that will determine the outcome.
1. Marlon Humphrey vs Ja’Marr Chase
In the first matchup, Chase had a phenomenal performance, notching 10 catches for 193 yards and 2 scores. Humphrey, who may not be at full strength following an injury scare in Week 7 against Tampa, drew the most targets while guarding Chase. According to PFF, Chase had 3 targets against both Humphrey and Brandon Stephens, recording 5 catches and 78 yards. 50 of those came against Humphrey, including a touchdown. Expect more safety help by Baltimore, especially if Tee Higgins is out.
2. Ravens Defense vs Shotgun Runs
The Bengals offense ranks just 25th in rushing from the gun, and the Ravens defense is 1st in stopping it. In the first matchup, Cincy ran from the gun on 10/23 attempts, yielding just 39 yards. The Ravens as a whole are 3rd in rush defense EPA, so the Cincy offense will need to make a concerted effort to establish the run early so that Baltimore can’t simply cheat the pass.
3.Bengals Defense vs Outside Runs
The Ravens are the best offense in the league at running outside the tackles, and incidentally, the Bengals are the worst defense at stopping it. In Week 5, Baltimore had 16 attempts outside the tackles for 135 yards.