3. The Cincinnati Bengals are a threat to the Ravens
The Cincinnati Bengals pose a very unique risk to the Ravens. I’m not quite as worried about the Bengals finding a way to reach the Super Bowl as some of the others on this list.
But if the Bengals manage to beat the Ravens for the second time later this month, they might just steal the AFC North crown away from their division rivals.
And that alone would severely hinder the Ravens’ chances of reaching the Super Bowl.
The Bengals have been one of the most inconsistent teams in football this year. Their last four games have all been blowouts, yet they’ve only won two of them.
They got blown out by the Cleveland Browns, blew out the Las Vegas Raiders, blew out the Pittsburgh Steelers, and then got blown out by the Los Angeles Chargers.
This, of course, came just two weeks after they stomped all over the Ravens only to lose to the hapless Jets led by Mike White the week after. What can we make of this Bengals team?
Well, Joe Burrow is a good quarterback who has taken a huge step forward in his return from injury this season. Their wide receiver corps is among the most talented in football. And their defense, while inconsistent, has mostly overachieved this year.
When everything is working, they legitimately look like one of the best teams in the NFL. Other times they look like the same Bengals team we’ve seen for the last few seasons.
Either way, they pose a legitimate threat to the Ravens, especially if they can find a way to beat them for a second time.