No one is expecting the Baltimore Ravens matchup vs. the Cincinnati Bengals to be a “great” game, but we are expecting a great game from Matt Judon.
The Baltimore Ravens made Matt Judon a very rich man this offseason when it slapped the impending free agent with a ~$16 million franchise tag. It may not have been the long-term deal he was looking for, but that’s a lot of money for one season. It just meant that Judon had to prove his Pro Bowl year in 2019 was no fluke.
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Thus far, Judon has recorded a measly two sacks in four games… both of which came last week against the Washington Football Team. Not great!
To be fair, Matt Judon’s performance against Washington was masterful and he gave a bad offensive line fits just like he’s supposed to. Judon was an absolute terror. Maybe that game will be what jumpstarts the rest of his 2020 season.
If Judon needed any more momentum he’ll certainly get it this week vs. the Cincinnati Bengals. Cincinnati has surrendered 15 sacks through the first four games of the season, the second-most in all of football. Short of second-year man Jonah Williams, the Bengals offensive line has been a hot mess to put it politely. The Ravens pass rush, especially Matt Judon, should be licking its chops at the opportunity to sack a rookie quarterback behind this line.
This is where we go ahead and place the spotlight on Matt Judon. There are simply no excuses to not have a heckuva day against this offensive line. The unit is simply putrid from left-to-right and Judon can rush from all different spots and be equally effective across the board. This needs to happen if Judon plans to get better moving forward.
Matt Judon isn’t the only Raven who needs to have a good day, as Calais Campbell will also need to get after the quarterback. Patrick Queen will also be looked at to have a good day. More importantly, however, is seeing Judon finally arrive in 2020. We all know how good he can be, it’s now a matter of becoming that guy. This is the perfect opportunity to do so.
The Baltimore Ravens need Matt Judon to play well moving forward. It can’t be all about getting pressures anymore; Judon needs to get numbers in the sack department, especially if he wants to get paid. Last week was a great game, now he needs to take that momentum and bring his A-game vs. the Cincinnati Bengals. With their offensive line, there won’t be any excuses for a mediocre game.