Week 4 is in the record books, and now it's time to move on to Week 5. The Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals square off Sunday afternoon in both team's first divisional matchup. The two are also coming off impressive wins in their own right. The Ravens smashed the Buffalo Bills 35-10 while the Bengals beat the anemic Carolina Panthers 34-24.
The upcoming rivalry game means a lot to both teams. For the Ravens, it's a chance to get back over .500 on the season and erase an early 0-2 start to the season. Meanwhile, for the Bengals, this is a must-win game as they're 1-3 and cannot afford another early season loss.
The Bengals are, unfortunately, in familiar territory, starting last season 1-3 as well. While they did end up with a winning record at 9-8, they missed the playoffs and honestly never truly had a shot after their poor start.
The Baltimore Ravens are coming into this game red-hot and playing like the best team in football. Ravens running back Derrick Henry is a man among boys out there, rushing for 350 yards and three touchdowns in his last two games alone. Expect more of the same against Cincinnati as the Bengals come into the game with a suspect rushing defense.
Ravens vs. Bengals prediction: Baltimore runs over Cincinnati
Whether it’s against the run or pass, the Bengals’ defensive line has been largely ineffective. Cincinnati ranks 31st in the league for run stop win rate (28.5%) and sacks per dropback (3.8%). These struggles are a key reason why the defense is among the worst in the NFL.
Injuries to four defensive tackles—starters Sheldon Rankins (hamstring) and BJ Hill (hamstring), along with rookies Kris Jenkins Jr. (thumb) and McKinnley Jackson (knee)—have certainly contributed. However, despite the health setbacks, the Bengals desperately need more production from their defensive front.
Adding insult to injury, star defensive end Trey Hendrickson could miss this game with a neck injury too, making slowing the Ravens down much harder. The Bengals are giving up the eighth-most rushing yards per game with 145.5. The Ravens lead the league in rushing yards per game with 220.3. Sounds like a potential recipe for disaster.
For the reasons above, the Ravens should and will run all over this Cincinnati defense. They have already been gashed by running backs Rhamondre Stevenson, Isaiah Pacheco, and Chuba Hubbard. No offense to those three, but Henry is significantly better than all of them.
Furthermore, Baltimore's defense is starting to show up. They'll need to, as the Bengals come in with a top-10 scoring offense led by quarterback Joe Burrow. Burrow and the Bengals, however, are clearly missing running back Joe Mixon and wide receiver Tyler Boyd since they were traded and left in free agency this past offseason, respectively.
While the Bengals are scoring points this year, it hasn't been against elite competition. We expect the Ravens' defense to be a major factor in this game, ultimately helping Baltimore get the dub.
First prediction: Ravens win 31-17
Our first prediction four days out from kickoff sees the Ravens winning 31-17 over the Bengals. Some predicted game highlights are as follows:
- Ravens will rush for over 200 yards
- Ravens defense will force at least one turnover
- Roger Rosengarten will have another great game at right tackle
- Ravens defense will hold Cincinnati to under 50 rushing yards