Ravens: Top 5 keys to victory in Week 7 against the Bengals
By CJ Errickson
The Baltimore Ravens will face-off this Sunday against their AFC North division rivals in the Cincinnati Bengals. On the year, the Bengals boast a 4-2 win/loss record, good enough to have them entrenched one game behind Baltimore in the division.
The victor of Sunday’s contest will firmly establish themselves as the division leader, one way or another. While the Ravens have been victorious in five straight games between the two organizations, this Cincinnati squad cannot be underestimated.
Just ask the 4-1 Green Bay Packers about them.
They are a team searching for a statement win this season, and they have the means of achieving it with their impressive second-year signal-caller.
1. The Ravens must be cautious with their excessive blitzing
Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow boasts upper-echelon marks when opposing defenses blitz him this season. As we all know, Don Martindale’s defensive unit is relentless when it comes to applying pressure.
However, it may be in the Ravens’ best interest to focus on generating pressure with only four or five players at most, however that may be. The Ravens secondary (outside of Marlon Humphrey) cannot afford to be aligned in single-man coverage against their bevy of wide receivers.
This is precisely how and why (in part) the Bengals defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers in their Week 3 matchup. Ideally, Baltimore does not afford the Cincinnati offense with the outside matchups they covet because of exotic blitzes galore on Sunday.