The Cincinnati Bengals picked up their first win of the season last week, beating a Carolina Panthers team that ranks near the bottom of the league in most categories.
The Bengals (1-3) will likely have a tougher time on Sunday when the Baltimore Ravens visit for the first AFC North matchup of the season.
Quarterback Lamar Jackson and the Ravens (2-2) enter with the NFL’s No. 1 offense, gaining an average of 429.5 yards per game. Running back Derrick Henry, in his first year with Baltimore, leads the league’s top rushing attack (220.3 yards per game).
The Ravens’ 26.5 points per game is the NFL’s fifth-best mark, while Cincinnati ranks near the bottom of the league in points allowed.
The good news for the Bengals is that quarterback Joe Burrow is playing like his old self again after having his 2023 season cut short with a wrist injury and subsequent surgery.
“We’re confident in our group,” Burrow said. “We’re rolling on offense right now. We’ve still left some points out there. We’re going to continue to chase perfection.”
Burrow was 22 for 31 for 232 yards with two touchdowns and an interception in Cincinnati’s 34-24 win at Carolina last Sunday. He’s completed 70.9% of his passes through four games and has re-established his chemistry with star receiver Ja’Marr Chase. Running back Chase Brown is emerging as an important option, rushing for 80 yards and two touchdowns last week.
“Really, we’ve seen the same thing that we’ve always seen from (Burrow),” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. “He’s playing very well. He plays the game in a very unique way, a very precise way, in terms of his reads, his accuracy, his timing, (and) he’s strong in the pocket — all of those things. He’s leading that team, leading that offense like he always does.”
After a rough start, Baltimore has worked out the wrinkles in its offense. Last Sunday, the Ravens beat Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills 35-10, led by Henry’s 199 rushing yards and two touchdowns — one running and one receiving. Jackson threw two TD passes in that one, and the Ravens sacked Allen three times.
“A lot of good football players walk on the field when these divisional games occur,” Bengals coach Zac Taylor said.
Chasing Henry
Since entering the NFL in 2016, Henry leads all players with 9,982 rushing yards and 99 scrimmage touchdowns (95 rushing, four receiving) in 123 games. With 18 rushing yards and a scrimmage touchdown on Sunday, Henry can become the fifth player in NFL history with at least 10,000 rushing yards and 100 scrimmage touchdowns in his first 125 games.
The Ravens lead the league with 881 rushing yards. With 119 rushing yards on Sunday, Baltimore can become the fifth team since 1980 and first since the 2006 Atlanta Falcons (1,160 rushing yards) with at least 1,000 rushing yards in its first five games of a season.
Bengals D gets a boost
Cincinnati has struggled to stop the run. That problem got worse when interior defensive linemen B.J. Hill and Sheldon Rankins were sidelined with hamstring injuries. The team got some good news on Wednesday when defensive end Myles Murphy and defensive tackle McKinnley Jackson were cleared to return to practice. Hill also returned to practice. Cincinnati is tied for 25th in the league in rushing defense.
Chase’s romp
One catch-and-run last week showed why Ja’Marr Chase is one of the best receivers in the league.
On third-and-3 from the Bengals 37, Burrow found Chase in the middle of the field at the Carolina 49-yard-line. Chase cut left, broke three tackles and raced down the sideline for a touchdown that gave Cincinnati a 14-7 second-quarter lead.
Hill brothers meet
Baltimore running back Justice Hill says playing against his little brother, Cincinnati cornerback Dax Hill, doesn’t seem like such a big deal these days because the teams play each other twice a year. Justice is 26 and in his sixth year with the Ravens. Dax is 24 and a starter in his third season with the Bengals.
“I mean, we’ve gone up against each other, it seems like 10 times now, but it’s always a fun game when you know your brother is on the field with you,” Justice Hill said. “So, we’re going to see what he’s doing.”
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