Baltimore has not quite fired on all cylinders yet, but it’s only a matter of time before this team discovers its true identity. A Sunday blowout is not an unreasonable expectation.
WHAT: Week Five vs. Cincinnati Bengals
WHEN: 1 p.m. (ET); Sunday, October 11
WHERE: M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore (70,745)
RECORDS: Bengals, 1-2-1; Ravens, 3-1
LIFETIME SERIES (regular season): Ravens lead, 25-23; in Baltimore, the Ravens are 16-8 against the Bengals, having beaten Cincinnati in three of its last four home games.
BALTIMORE TV and RADIO: WJZ-TV, Channel 13, WIYY-FM, 97.9
REFEREE: Jerome Boger
About the Bengals
—The Bengals will wear white jerseys and black pants for this year’s game in Baltimore. Since the team redesigned its jerseys at the start of the 2004 season, this combination has produced the third-worst record among the seven possible combinations the Bengals wear. Cincinnati is 28-39-1 (.419) when wearing this combo. This will likely put the Ravens in purple jerseys and white pants, their traditional home-field look.
—The Bengals were born in 1968 as an American Football League expansion franchise–the last of that league’s ten teams to join the league before it merged with the NFL two years later. They are currently playing in their 53rd season. In their first season in the AFC after the 1970 merger, the Bengals made the playoffs but lost in the Divisional round to the Baltimore Colts at Baltimore’s Memorial Stadium, 17-0. That game marked the first AFC playoff game in post-merger league history.
—The Bengals franchise has appeared in the playoffs 14 times in 52 completed seasons, including nine division titles, with four coming since the AFC North was formed in 2002. They have played in two Super Bowls (16, 23), losing both to the San Francisco 49ers, but haven’t won a postseason game since after the 1990 season–despite a franchise-record five straight playoff berths from 2011-15.
—When the Baltimore Colts were part of the NFL, they split eight regular-season meetings before the Colts moved to Indianapolis in March 1984. Not including the aforementioned AFC playoff game, the Colts won three of the first four meetings before Cincinnati took three in a row. Baltimore won the final Colts-Bengals game in 1983, a 34-31 thriller at Riverfront Stadium.
—For the eighth time in a ten-year span, including six in a row at one point, the first of the two annual Ravens-Bengals games will have been played in Baltimore with the return match scheduled for Cincinnati on the season’s final Sunday. The strange-yet-frequent occurrence was mandated, starting in 2010. The Ravens and Bengals will close the regular season against each other for the eighth time, and sixth in Cincinnati, since 2010.
—The Ravens have swept the head-to-head series over Cincinnati seven times with last year’s sweep being Baltimore’s first over the Bengals since 2011. Meanwhile, the Bengals have recorded six sweeps over the Ravens. There have been 11 splits. Baltimore is playing all three return (second) games against AFC North teams on the road this year, while all three of Cincinnati’s return division games are at home.
—Overall, Cincinnati has won eight of its last 13 and nine of the last 15 meetings with the Ravens. After they won the first meeting in 2018, the Bengals led the overall head-to-head series against Baltimore for the first time since 1998, when it was 3-2, but there has been a great deal of suspense. 14 of the last 19 games in this series–including 12 of the last 14 games between these teams in Baltimore–have been decided by one score, including the last seven straight.
—Baltimore has 25 regular-season wins over the Bengals. The two teams have never met in the postseason. That win total represents the second-most the Ravens have over any team in the league, having beaten Cleveland 32 times and Pittsburgh on 23 occasions.
—Even though Cincinnati currently doesn’t have many good players, it has drafted well. As of September 28, Cincinnati has 55 of its draftees currently occupying roster spots around the league, the most by any team. Close behind the Bengals are Baltimore and New England (52 each). Of the 53 current active-roster Bengals, 37 entered the league as either Cincinnati draft picks or Bengals undrafted free agents. As for draft picks staying with their original teams, Cincinnati, Baltimore, and Pittsburgh are tied for the league lead, each with 33 such players.
—The Bengals started the season with a tough early schedule. They are currently in the midst of a season-opening stretch that sees them play four of their first six games on the road, a span that includes division games at Cleveland and Baltimore. Following the team’s bye week, they have another road stretch of three games in four weeks. Cincinnati finishes the regular season with three home games in a four-week span, including visits from Dallas, Pittsburgh, and Baltimore.
—With a new quarterback, it’s understandable that the Bengals would want to pass the ball more than run it. But the team is well out of balance through four games, having run the ball 104 times with 192 pass plays (including sacks allowed). Still, Cincinnati and its opponents are tied on the scoreboard with 99 total points apiece, with the Bengals holding a commanding 33-10 edge in the third quarter of its games. The Bengals are much better at controlling the ball these days, having had at least 32 minutes of possession in each of the last three weeks.
—On defense, the team has allowed 11 first downs via penalties. It’s an absolute back-breaking situation for a unit that has already been rather porous. The team’s turnover ratio is even: it has forced only two fumbles, recovering none, and put the ball on the ground four times, losing two. The defense has four interceptions from four different players.
—The Bengals are 14-3 against the Ravens when they win the turnover battle and 2-18 when they don’t. Cincinnati has won seven of eleven games when the turnover ratio was even.
—Cincinnati has committed 27 accepted penalties through the first quarter of the season. The total is tied for the sixth-highest in the league, and six more penalties than Baltimore has committed. The Bengals have been flagged for six false-start penalties and five offensive holding violations. Defensively, they have been charged with four unnecessary roughness calls and four defensive pass interference infractions. Defensive back Darius Phillips leads the team with four penalties, with no other Bengal having more than two. According to STATS, INC., Cincinnati has been charged with three dropped passes this year, two fewer than the Ravens.
—After former Ravens’ defensive coordinator Marvin Lewis spent 16 seasons at the Bengals helm, Zac Taylor took over in 2019. He is the tenth head coach in Bengals franchise history, coming to the team after serving as the Los Angeles Rams’ assistant wide receivers coach and quarterbacks coach. Before that, he had been on the staff at the University of Cincinnati, where Ravens head coach John Harbaugh worked early in his career. This will be Taylor’s third game against the Ravens, and he is 0-2 so far. Lewis was 19-13 against Baltimore. Notable coaching-staff hires under Taylor include senior defensive assistant Mark Duffner (Maryland head coach, 1992-96) and assistant head coach/special teams coordinator Darrin Simmons (Ravens, 1998), the son of former Ravens strength coach Jerry Simmons.
—Taylor’s tenure is just beginning. So far, the Bengals are 0-9-1 on the road, 1-8 when scoring first, 1-12-1 when losing at the half, and 0-12 when trailing after three quarters. If all that wasn’t bad enough, the Bengals under Taylor are 2-13-1 when allowing 20 or more points and 3-16-1 when playing outdoors.
—Through four weeks, the Bengals are ranked 20th in total offense (19th rushing, 16th passing, tied for 18th scoring) and are averaging 25.3 first downs per game, fourth-most in the league. But the team is the seventh-worst in the league on third-down plays (37 percent) and third-worst in the red zone, scoring touchdowns a mere 38.4 percent of the time. The Bengals are averaging a respectable 30:57 in possession time, tied for 11th-most. The team is definitely ranked 24th overall (27th vs. rush, 16th vs. pass, 16th scoring). The team’s red-zone defense is allowing touchdowns at a 53.3-percent pace, the NFL’s eighth-best.
–-Rookie quarterback and Ohio native Joe Burrow took over the quarterback job this year after longtime starter Andy Dalton left the Bengals for the Dallas Cowboys. Burrow quarterbacked LSU to college football’s national championship last year with arguably the best statistical season in NCAA history. In four games this season, Burrow has completed 65.5 percent of his passes with six touchdowns, two interceptions, and an 89.7 rating. He has been sacked 15 times and fumbled on three occasions, losing one. Burrow’s 116 completions are the NFL’s second-most this season.
—Last week against Jacksonville, Burrow became the first rookie quarterback in NFL history to have 300 passing yards in three straight games. With 1121 passing yards so far, he is on pace to break Andrew Luck’s 2012 record for most rookie passing yards (4374). Burrow is backed up by 2019 fourth-round pick Ryan Finley.
—Fourth-year workhorse running back Joe Mixon has had a star-crossed career. His draft stock was hurt due to domestic violence issues. He was then slowed in 2017 by an ankle problem and a concussion–not to mention poor blocking. Despite the presence of versatile, change-of-pace back Giovani Bernard, Mixon still gets the lion’s share of the carries (77 of the team’s 104). This year, he has 315 yards for a 4.1-yard average and two of the team’s three rushing touchdowns. Mixon has been bothered by a chest injury, but he still scored three touchdowns last week. Burrow has 75 yards rushing and a 23-yard touchdown. Bernard has just four carries thus far, but he does have 12 receptions, tied for fourth-most on the team.
—As usual, the Bengals aren’t lacking in quality passing-game targets. Newcomer Tee Higgins, a second-round pick from Clemson (33rd overall), has a dozen catches and two touchdowns. However, there have been health problems with this unit. Standout receiver AJ Green has had a tendency to get injured and miss games against the Ravens. He has missed the team’s last three games against Baltimore. He also missed the second meeting with the Ravens in 2018 due to a toe injury. The ankle ailment he incurred during training camp kept him off the field entirely last year. Green has 14 catches this season, second on the team. In addition, speedster John Ross’ shoulder problem landed him on injured reserve, but he returned late last season.
—Tyler Boyd, the University of Pittsburgh alum who memorably scored on a fourth-down play three years ago to knock Baltimore out of the playoff race, has taken over as the team’s top target with 28 catches. He has an 11.4-yard average and a touchdown. Third-year receiver Auden Tate is a 6-foot-5, 228-pounder who has flashed potential. Slot man Alex Erikson was slowed by injuries last year and has just one grab this season. At tight end, CJ Uzomah is out for the year (Achilles), and Tyler Eifert left in free agency. That means the job fell to second-year player Drew Sample (12 catches).
—The Bengals’ offensive line has undergone changes in recent years. That may account for the team’s bland running game and high sack count (Burrow has been sacked 15 times this year). Ex-New York Giant Bobby Hart is a right tackle in his third year with the team, and he can also play guard. Hart is one of only two starters returning to this unit from the last time the Bengals played the Ravens. The other is Trey Hopkins, who won back the starting job at center over former first-round pick Billy Price (Ohio State), who’s now listed as a backup. The guards–left-sider Michael Jordan and right-side man Fred Johnson–are both in their second NFL seasons. Joining them is the team’s 2019 first-round pick, left tackle and Alabama grad, Jonah Williams (11th overall), who missed his entire rookie season with a torn shoulder labrum. Veteran Alex Redmond lends depth at guard, and he started in Johnson’s place last week.
—In the past, Cincinnati used to be known for getting a great push to the pocket from its 4-3 defensive line. But it has faltered in getting any sort of pressure this year. The team has just eight sacks, with 3.5 of them coming from fourth-year defensive end Carl Lawson (15 tackles), who isn’t even listed as a starter. Third-year defensive end Sam Hubbard (unit-best 20 tackles, one sack), a product of Ohio State and Cincinnati’s renowned Moeller High program, is listed ahead of Lawson. Carlos Dunlap (16 tackles) is on the other side. Dunlap has 81.5 career sacks, two behind all-time franchise leader Eddie Edwards, and his 40 pass breakups since 2016 are the NFL’s most among non-defensive backs.
—Since they entered the league together, defensive tackle Geno Atkins (eight Pro Bowls) and Dunlap are the only teammates with at least 70 sacks each. Dunlap has three sacks in his last five games against Baltimore, but sixth-year man Christian Covington has been playing in place of Atkins, who has not played this year due to a bad shoulder. The nose tackle is a free-agent pickup DJ Reader (18 tackles), who came to the team after four seasons with the Houston Texans.
—At the second (linebacker) level, Cincinnati lists only two primary linebacker positions and an overall 4-2-5 alignment. The Bengals have had a revolving door at the second level in recent years, settling on a new tandem for this season–Germaine Pratt and Josh Bynes. Bynes spent two stints with Baltimore. Bynes, who made the final tackle in Super Bowl 47, is third on the team with 27 tackles and a sack. Pratt, a second-year player from NC State, has 24 stops, after breaking out of the gate with ten tackles against the Chargers in Week One. Pratt and Bynes are two of nine Bengals defensive players that have started all four games this year.
—In a nickel secondary that is the team’s base look, the Bengals tried to upgrade by pairing ex-New Orleans safety Vonn Bell with Jessie Bates, a second-round, third-year player. Bates and Bell are a respective first and second on the team in tackles with 32 and 29. In 2018, Bates got his first career interception against Baltimore in the Bengals’ Week Two home win. Bell’s addition relegates Shaun Williams to a backup role. The Bengals were aggressive in the free-agent cornerback market, adding nickel man Mackenzie Alexander (12 tackles) from the Vikings. Veterans William Jackson (18 tackles) and Darius Phillips (11 tackles, team-high four penalties) handle the outside spots; Jackson has one of the team’s four interceptions, but he is the only player to have run it back for any yardage (30).
—When the Bengals visited Baltimore last year, kick returner Brandon Wilson ran back the opening kickoff 92 yards for a touchdown. It was the first time in 245 returns, spanning eight years, that the Ravens had allowed a kick-return score. Wilson is averaging 30.3 yards per runback this year (second in the league to Baltimore’s Devin Duvernay, 34.3), with the team averaging 28 per return, tied for second-best in the league. On his own, Wilson has an NFL-best three returns of more than 40 yards. Fifth-year punt return specialist and backup wide receiver Alex Erickson had a concussion early last season, but he appears to be fully recovered. On punt returns, he has six runbacks and five fair catches, playing to an 11-yard average.
—The coverage teams are a mixed bag with the punt-coverage team allowing 4.4 yards per return, third-lowest in the league, and the kick-coverage unit yielding a league-worst 46 yards per runback. But those numbers come with a qualifier because only one kickoff has been run back against the Bengals all year.
—Cincinnati is one of the few teams that can match the Ravens as far as longevity in the kicking game. Kicker Randy Bullock, in his ninth season from Texas A&M (Baltimore’s Justin Tucker is also in his ninth year from Texas), has hit all nine extra points this year and has gone 12-for-13 on field-goal tries. Only one miss has come from a mere 31 yards. He has a co-league-high total of 45 points, and his 22 kickoff touchbacks are tied for the top spot.
—Punter Kevin Huber has been punting for the Bengals since being taken as a 2009 fifth-round pick (142nd overall). Just as punter Sam Koch (another late-round pick) is the longest-tenured Raven, Huber is the most senior Bengal on the roster. In 16 punts this year, he has four touchbacks, seven coffin-corner kick, and is gross-averaging 47.5 yards per punt and netting 41.5.
Prediction
With a second-year head coach, Cincinnati is restructuring in the secondary, offensive line, and at the quarterback spot. Meanwhile, the Ravens have elite, veteran talent, promising young players, and veteran coaching. Baltimore hasn’t quite fired on all cylinders yet, but it’s only a matter of time before this team discovers its true identity. A Sunday blowout is not an unreasonable expectation.
Baltimore 40, Cincinnati 17
