The Baltimore Ravens (1-0) will make a trip to Ohio to face divisional foe Cincinnati (0-1) at Paycor Stadium on Sunday for Week 2 of the 2023 NFL regular season. After both franchises earned very different results last weekend with the Flock beating Houston easily and the Bengals getting demolished by Cleveland, this matchup can have serious implications going forward.
It's very early in the season and you can't win the Super Bowl just two weeks into the year, but you can start to lose it if you drop the ball in September. And on top of everything, this is a freaking Ravens vs. Bengals game we're talking about.
With just a few hours between now and kick-off on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. ET, here is everything that your superheroes have said ahead of the divisional matchup and all you need to hear from them to get (more) fired up!
QB Lamar Jackson: "No excuses. We have guys getting paid to bust their behinds"
While this is not a new rivalry, per se, the stakes are higher than ever after the Bengals got their organization together following the arrival of QB Joe Burrow and reached the Super Bowl a couple of years ago while falling one game short of reaching it again last season.
Lamar Jackson was able to play against the Bengals in last season's Wild Card game because of an injury suffered in December, but he's eager to do so on Sunday. Speaking of injuries...
"It's no excuses. We all have guys in the NFL that are getting paid to bust their behinds, so it is what it is. It's tough just because they're key players, but we have guys that are going to step up and lead us out there on that field and do what they're supposed to do."Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens will have to face Cincy without four starters at the very least, including CB Marlon Humphrey, S Marcus Williams, and offensive linemen Tyler Linderbaum and Ronnie Stanley.
Lamar ain't going to use that as an excuse to lower the expectations, though, and nor will any other member of the Ravens entering Sunday.
Baltimore is facing the extraordinary opportunity of going up 2-0 in the AFC North while dropping Cincy to an ominous 0-2 record barely two weeks into September, so they know they need to pounce on this unique chance.
RB Gus Edwards: "Next man up mentality. We have families to feed, we make plays"
Unless you have been living under a rock for the past week, and even if you're not a true Baltimore Ravens fan, you have already heard about it: J.K. Dobbins tore his Achilles tendon and is out for the remainder of the season.
The aftermath: Gus Edwards, Justice Hill, and Melvin Gordon will be the men tasked with leading the Ravens backfield and Baltimore as a whole the promised land.
"That's what we get paid to do. Next man up mentality. We have families to feed. We make plays. I guess I bring a physical aspect. Justice is more of a speed, agility guy. I'm excited for him too because I know he's primed to have a good year. He's been working his tail off too. So I'm excited for him to see what he does."Gus Edwards, Baltimore Ravens
Edwards and Hill are expected to climb up the running back depth chart to take on RB1/RB2 duties with veteran MG3 getting activated from the practice squad into the main roster of the flock.
Again, no excuses here not to produce. Edwards and Hill already were huge last Sunday against the Texans carrying the rock 16 times combined with Hill scoring a couple of goal-line touchdowns to add 12 points to the board all by himself.
Lamar Jackson's rushing prowess, along with that of this veteran trifecta should be enough to carry the Ravens places. Let's start this weekend in Cincy.
ILB Patrick Queen: "We’ll try to make it a different story this time"
Patrick Queen, along with fellow inside linebacker Roquan Smith, had one of the strongest performances of the season-opening weekend across the NFL. Queen got to CJ Stroud once, sacked him, and on top of that completed five tackles.
"Any time you’ve got 11 on the field and you want to play football, I think you’re getting your best shot from people. We’ll try to [make it] a different story this time. We’ve got Lamar out there; we’ve got other guys out there this time. We’re going to go out there and try to play our best game and get the win."Patrick Queen, Baltimore Ravens
Queen was present in both of the last two games between Ravens and Bengals last January.
Although he didn't factor that much in the postseason according to PFF's grades (61.0 on defense) he was great in the regular season finale getting a gaudy 80.0 PFF grade on defense while completing four tackles and allowing no yards on two targets and receptions throughout that Week 18 matchup.
ILB Roquan Smith: "Every game I play is personal. They're going to get what they're going to get"
The minute the Ravens decided to go ahead and make the Roquan Smith trade last midseason, right on the verge of the NFL trade deadline, they changed the present and the future of the franchise in a rather vast way.
Not only did Smith improve his game but actually everyone around him on the Flock's defensive unit, most importantly fellow ILB Patrick Queen.
"I’m sure they are going to be pissed off coming into the game based on their outing from last week. I don’t think they scored a touchdown. So obviously, they’re going to try and come out and get some redemption. And we’re going to be pissed off as well. That’s how we play and we’re looking forward to it."Roquan Smith, Baltimore Ravens
Of course, coming from the Bears but having experienced the Jungle Juices twice at the end of the 2022 season, Smith found it easy to poke the Cats with his comments earlier this week about how pissed Cincy must be after their Week 1 stinker.
"Every game I play is personal, every play I play is personal. They’re going to get what they’re going to get. That’s just how I look at it. That’s any opponent, each and every week. I’m going to play the same, through the whistle — fast, physical all day long. If they don’t like it, who cares?"Roquan Smith, Baltimore Ravens
Not only that, but Smith took the proper time to make it very clear that he's about to go out on Sunday with the clear mindset of making it a personal affair and serious business against Cincy--or whoever dares stepping in his way.
Smith is coming off a ridiculous game in which he tackled 16 foes for a Week 1 franchise record, to go along with one sack and one batted pass against Houston.
TE Mark Andrews: "I think we have a good plan"
If there is a man out there eager to play against Cincinnati or whoever else, that must be Ravens starting tight end Mark Andrews. That is, of course, because he already had to forfeit Week 1's matchup against the lowly Texans while nursing a quad injury that has been affecting him for weeks on end.
"I'm just continuing to get better day by day probably similar to last week. I think we have a good plan. I'm excited for our offensive gameplan and what we're going to do. We have a big game this week, so all eyes on Cincinnati."Mark Andrews, Baltimore Ravens
Andrews has stayed positive, and he sounded hella pumped about the new Baltimore offense led by OC Todd Monken, which is reasonable considering he should be one of the key pieces of the new Ravens attack.
The Ravens are expected to spread their offense and air it out more than ever before, so Andrews could be entering a career year this season.
WR Odell Beckham: "You've just got to know that the sky is the limit. Rome wasn't built in a day"
OBJ was in the spotlight when the Ravens signed him to a one-year, $15 million deal earlier this year adding him to the fold even before knowing what would happen with Lamar Jackson.
A ton of folks were quick to label that transaction a bit of a stupid move without really thinking about it for a minute. Of course, those comments are already backfiring and burning their buttocks.
"I feel like we had a good first, sloppy game, and you still put up 25 points. So, the bad thing is there were a lot of mistakes, a lot of miscommunications, a lot of those things; the good news is there is room for improvement. I think this week was a lot better as far as being locked in with each other and on all the assignments, and you've just got to know that the sky is the limit with that, and we'll go as far as we want to go. So, I definitely feel like it was a much better week. Rome wasn't built in a day."Odell Beckham Jr., Baltimore Ravens
Beckham didn't have the gaudiest of (statistical) debuts last Sunday, but he still grabbed a couple of passes and put up some respectable numbers even in limited usage.
Truth be told, for someone getting so few looks, the gainings he helped Baltimore get (37 yards on two receptions, including a 29-yard beauty) were more than enough for a vet coming back from a year-and-a-half rehab.
Things can only get better from this point on, and Beckham surely knows a little bit about that after spending years dominating the league and ultimately lifting the chip the last time he was on a football field clad in non-Ravens threads.