W2L4: Reinforcements On Their Way As Bengals Look For First Division Win vs. Ravens

Ravens (2-2) at Bengals (1-3) Sunday, Oct. 6 at Paycor Stadium (Field Turf CORE), 1 p.m. ET, TV: Ch. 12 CBS-WKRC-TV (Cincinnati) Kevin Harlan (PBP), Trent Green (Analyst), Melanie Collins (sideline). Radio: Dan Hoard, Dave Lapham. WEBN-FM (102.7 FM), 700-WLW, ESPN1530. National: Compass Radio Networks: Chris Carrino (play-by-play) and Brian Baldinger (analyst).

CINCINNATI — One of the fiercest rivalries in football renews on Sunday when the Baltimore Ravens visit the Bengals in the first AFC North division battle this season for both teams.

The two teams have combined to win the last three division titles and five of the last six. Baltimore dethroned two-time AFC North champ Cincinnati last year and is coming off two straight wins to level their record on the season.

Behind a season-best 141 yards rushing, including a pair of rushing scores from Chase Brown, the Bengals earned their first win last week in Charlotte with a 34-24 decision at Carolina. The Bengals 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 half.

Ja’Marr Chase scored on a brilliant 63-yard catch-and-run while Joe Burrow completed 22-of-31 passes for 232 yards and two touchdowns. The Bengals have scored 67 points in their last two games.

“We’re confident in our group. We’re rolling on offense right now,” said Burrow. “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 in 2023 after the two teams spit in 2022 and Cincinnati swept in 2021. Cincinnati beat Baltimore in the wild card round after the 2022 season.

The Bengals are hopeful to get some defensive reinforcements for this weekend as edge Myles Murphy and defensive tackle McKinnley Jackson began practicing this week and could be activated in time for the game. Defensive tackle BJ Hill also returned to practice after suffering a hamstring injury in Week 2 and fully participated on Friday. He is expected to play this Sunday.

Star defensive end Trey Hendrickson also returned to practice Wednesday after leaving Sunday’s game with a neck stinger. He left the stadium in a shoulder sling but was on the field in uniform on Wednesday. He was a full participant Friday and is cleared to play.

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 the first play from scrimmage. Henry enters Week 5 leading the NFL in rushing with 480 yards while Baltimore is leading the league in team rushing at 220.3 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 and 18 rushing yards to reach the 10,000 plateau for his career.

“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.”

Here’s what to look for:

• When the Bengals have the ball:

From Joe Burrow to Zac Taylor to Ja’Marr Chase, all have stressed this week that playing damn-near perfect means scoring nearly every time the Bengals possess the ball. Don’t turn the ball over. One misstep like last year’s route-jumping pick by then Raven safety Geno Stone in the fourth quarter spells doom. The Bengals have a legitimate run game which could factor significantly in controlling the tempo and tenor of this game. No one has spent much time talking about the Bengals run game but they should. They’re averaging a very commendable 4.6 yards per tote. Chase Brown is coming off a game in which he scored his first two career touchdowns on the ground. Zack Moss has two rushing scores and a TD catch. One good way to test the Ravens defense is to see how well they defend the tight end. The Bengals have two that could threaten them in Mike Gesicki and rookie Erick All Jr.

• When the Ravens have the ball:

There’s little doubt that Lou Anarumo has lost lots of sleep wondering how is defense can stand a chance against Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry, Justice Hill and Patrick Ricard and the multi-faceted run game of the Ravens. The Bengals have been giving up chunks on the perimeter and need to shore that up. To that end, the Bengals are getting loads of reinforcements back for this game as edge Myles Murphy and DT McKinnley Jackson are expected to be activated off IR and suit up. Trey Hendrickson is a go after last week’s neck stinger scare and BJ Hill returns from a strained hamstring suffered in Week 2 at Kansas City. The Bengals will need all of these players to contribute positively in some form and fashion. The linebackers will need to read their keys and hit the gap correctly. The Bengals could deploy a 4-3 scheme to account for the run game as opposed to a standard nickel. The Bengals would love to have Mike Hilton on the field, though he did not practice this week. Hilton has a history of getting Henry to the ground with great lower body and feet tackles. If the Bengals get beat through the air, then so be it. They cannot allow the Ravens to do what they did to the Bills on Sunday night, emasculating them early, leaving no real hope in the second half.

• Bottom Line:

The Bengals are very capable of winning this game, but that is predicated on not falling behind by two scores early and letting the Ravens dictate the tenor of the game to them. The Bengals haven’t beaten Lamar Jackson since Week 7 of 2021 when they swept the season series on their way to the AFC North title. In 2022, the Bengals beat Anthony Brown in Week 18 and Tyrod Taylor in the Wild Card round. The Bengals are just 1-8 against Jackson as a starter. The Bengals are capable if they play the game from ahead. One rushing touchdown and one each from Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins should do the trick. A defensive score could be in the mix here as well as Geno Stone faces Jackson for the first time. Stone baited Burrow last year. Can he do the same to Lamar this year?

Bengals 28, Ravens 27