The Bengals usually play well in home games against Baltimore, but that will be a tough task this year. The Ravens lead the NFL in scoring, and Cincinnati is winless. Ravens prevail.
WHAT: Week Ten, Game Nine at Cincinnati Bengals
WHEN: 1 p.m. (ET); Sunday, November 10
WHERE: Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati (65,515)
RECORDS: Ravens, 6-2; Bengals, 0-8
LIFETIME SERIES (regular season): Ravens lead, 24-23; in Cincinnati, the Ravens are 8-15 against the Bengals, having lost on eight of their last ten trips there.
TV: WJZ-TV, Channel 13 (Kevin Harlan, Rich Gannon, booth; Jay Feely, sidelines)
RADIO: WIYY-FM, 97.9 (Gerry Sandusky, Jarret Johnson, booth)
REFEREE: Scott Novak
About the Bengals
—The Bengals will wear black jerseys and black pants this week. Since the team redesigned its jerseys at the start of the 2004 season, this combination has produced the third-best record among the seven possible combinations the Bengals wear. Cincinnati is 16-15-1 (.516) in the all-black combo.
—The Bengals were born in 1968 as an American Football League expansion franchise. They were the last of that league’s ten teams to join the league before it merged with the NFL two years later. They are currently playing in their 52nd season. In their first season in the AFC, the Bengals made the playoffs but lost in the Divisional round to the Baltimore Colts at Baltimore’s Memorial Stadium, 17-0. That game marked the first AFC playoff game in post-merger league history.
—The Bengals franchise has appeared in the playoffs 14 times in 51 completed seasons, including nine division titles–four since the AFC North was formed in 2002. They have played in two Super Bowls (16, 23), losing both to the San Francisco 49ers. But Cincy hasn’t won a postseason game since the 1990 season–despite a franchise-record five straight playoff berths from 2011-15.
—When the Baltimore Colts were part of the NFL, they split eight regular-season meetings before the Colts moved to Indianapolis in March 1984. Not including the aforementioned AFC playoff game, the Colts won three of the first four meetings before Cincinnati took three in a row. Baltimore won the final Colts-Bengals game in 1983, a 34-31 Riverfront Stadium thriller.
—The Bengals played at old Nippert Stadium before moving to the antiseptic, nondescript multi-use Riverfront Stadium in 1970, which they shared with the baseball Reds. In 1996, voters in Hamilton County approved a half-percent sales tax increase to pay for new stadiums for both teams. Paul Brown Stadium– named for the longtime Cleveland Browns coach who took over the expansion Bengals in 1968– opened in 2000. The stadium featured a natural-grass surface until 2004, when synthetic FieldTurf was installed.
—For the seventh time in a nine-year span–including six in a row at one point–the first of the two annual Ravens-Bengals games were played in Baltimore. The Ravens have swept the head-to-head series six times (none since 2011), while the Bengals have also recorded six sweeps. There have been 11 splits.
—Cincinnati has won eight of its last 12, and nine of the last 14, meetings with the Ravens. The Bengals now led the overall head-to-head series against Baltimore. In 12 of the last 14 games in Baltimore, games have been decided by one score, including the last seven straight.
—Even though Cincinnati currently doesn’t have many good players, they have drafted well. Cincinnati has 49 of its draftees currently occupying roster spots around the league–tied with Baltimore and New England for the most in the league.
—The Bengals started the season with a tough early schedule. They’ve already faced three of the four NFC West teams, and played four of their first six games on the road. They also had a game in London scheduled just before their bye week. Now they will now play three home games in four weeks.
—The winless Bengals have played some close games. In addition to losing to Baltimore, Cincinnati played close games vs. Seattle, Buffalo, and Arizona–losing by a total of 14 points. They been blown out by San Francisco, the Rams, and Pittsburgh. They often get off to slow starts, getting outscored in the first quarter, 46-23, as well as in the third, 37-13. The offense is heavily unbalanced in favor of passing. The team has run 150 rushing plays and 365 pass plays (with 29 sacks allowed). They have fumbled the ball 11 times, losing seven, and have allowed 22 touchdowns through five games (ten rushing, 14 passing, three returns).
—For most of last season, the Bengals ranked at or near the bottom of the AFC in average possession time. Through eight games this year, Cincinnati is averaging 27:34 per game. One of the Bengals’ best efforts in this category last year came against the Ravens in the first meeting between the teams. The Bengals held the ball for 31:50.
—Cincinnati has committed 53 accepted penalties in eight games, a total that is tied with New Orleans for the league’s sixth-fewest and is 14 fewer than Baltimore’s. The Bengals have committed 12 false-start penalties and six offensive holding calls. The team has only been called once for offensive pass interference, and just once for illegal contact on defense. Only two Bengals have more than three penalties–guard Bobby Hart (six) and tackle Andre Smith (four).
—The Bengals currently sport a minus-9 turnover ratio, the league’s fourth-worst. But the Bengals are 14-3 against the Ravens when they win the turnover battle. They have intercepted only two passes on defense, tied for the league-low, and recovered four fumbles. The six total takeaways are the league’s second-lowest total. The Bengals have been charged with 13 dropped passes, tied with Miami for the AFC lead. Wide receiver John Ross is the team leader with four.
—Zac Taylor took over this year as head coach, one of six brand-new head coaches around the league. He is the tenth head coach in franchise history, coming to the team after serving as the Los Angeles Rams’ assistant wide receivers coach and quarterbacks coach under Sean McVay. Prior to that, he had been on the staff at the University of Cincinnati, where Ravens head coach John Harbaugh also worked earlier in his career. This will be Taylor’s first game against the Ravens. His predecessor, Marvin Lewis, was 19-13 against Baltimore.
—The Bengals are ranked 25th in total offense (32nd and last in rushing at 59.5 yards per game, 11th passing, 29th scoring at 15.5 points per game). Cincinnati is the league’s worst in the red zone, scoring touchdowns at a 33.3 percent rate. Defensively, the team is allowing over 435 yards per game–good for a rock-bottom 32nd ranking (32nd and last vs. rush at 177 yards per game, 22nd vs. pass, 24th scoring). The team’s red-zone defense is allowing touchdowns at a 41-percent pace, tied for the NFL’s third-best.
–-Ninth-year quarterback Andy Dalton is being replaced at starting quarterback by fourth-round rookie Ryan Finley, the 104th overall selection from North Carolina State. In the Atlantic Coast Conference, he played against Lamar Jackson and Louisville in 2016 and 2017, losing the first game, but winning the second. He impressed during preseason action (99.3 rating) and was named the starter over the bye week. He has shown plenty of leadership and football intelligence, according to the coaches.
—Dalton was a 2011 second-round pick (35th overall) from Texas Christian University. He has played well against the Ravens over his career, beating them eight times, his second-most wins over any opponent (Cleveland, 11). In those games, he has completed 56.7 percent of his passes with 21 touchdowns, but with 17 interceptions–his most against any opponent. He has played to a 77.7 rating against Baltimore and has been sacked 29 times. He also has nine touchdowns and one interception in his last four games against the Ravens.
—Third-year workhorse running back Joe Mixon has had a star-crossed career. His draft stock was hurt due to domestic violence issues. Later, he was slowed down by an ankle problem and concussion. He’s also known as a poor blocking back. Despite the presence of versatile, change-of-pace back Giovani Bernard, Mixon still gets the lion’s share of the carries. This year, he has 101 rushes for a 3.2-yard average, but without a rush longer than 18 yards. Bernard has only 30 carries with a 2.7-yard average. Neither one of the team’s principal backs has a rushing touchdown. Dalton, on the other hand, has three.
—Standout receiver AJ Green has had a tendency to get injured and miss games against the Ravens. He missed last year’s second meeting with a toe injury, and the ankle ailment he incurred during training camp has kept him off the field entirely this year. But Green is practicing this week and could play. Also, speedster John Ross’ shoulder problem has landed him on injured reserve, but he could return later this season. Behind those two, Tyler Boyd has taken over as the team leader with 51 catches–a ten-yard average and a touchdown. Second-year receiver Auden Tate, 6-foot-5, 228-pounder, has 27 receptions, second on the team. Slot man Alex Erikson, slowed by injuries this year, has 25 receptions. Even though CJ Uzomah starts at tight end, Tyler Eifert has hauled in 23 passes with a score. Bernard and Mixon have combined for 37 receptions and three touchdowns.
—The Bengals’ offensive line has also been affected by injuries and plagued by ineffectiveness. The unit has allowed 29 sacks this year. Eighth-year veteran left tackle Cordy Glenn, acquired in a trade with Buffalo last year, has been slowed by a concussion and an in-house team dispute. His backup, swing tackle and former first-round pick Andre Smith, has allowed several sacks and has been replaced by John Jerry the past three games. Veteran guard Alex Redmond is back from suspension, but he has only started the last two games and is nursing a foot injury. Ex-New York Giant Bobby Hart is a right tackle in his second year with the team, and can also play guard. Last year’s first-round pick, center Billy Price (Ohio State), got injured at the scouting combine (pectoral), but later won the starting job before getting hurt and losing it to Trey Hopkins. Hopkins and Price, who’s now the left guard, have started every game.
—In the past, Cincinnati got a great push from its 4-3 defensive line. But last year, the team fell out of the top ten in scoring defense for the first time since 2014. The line isn’t getting much of a rush this year, either. The team has a league-low nine sacks. Six-time Pro Bowl pick Geno Atkins, who had been one of the best interior pass rushers in the league in recent years, has just three sacks so far. Edge rusher, Carlos Dunlap, has had three sacks in his past five games against Baltimore. Since they entered the league together, Atkins and Dunlap are the only teammates with at least 70 sacks each. Second-year defensive end Sam Hubbard co-leads the team with three sacks.
—At the second (linebacker) level, Cincinnati lists only two primary linebacker positions and an overall 4-2-5 alignment. That’s pretty standard these days in our passing-dominated league. The Bengals dipped into the free-agent market last year to sign former Buffalo Bills veteran Preston Brown. His presence came in handy last season after the since-departed Vontaze Burfict was suspended. Brown is fourth on the team with 46 total tackles. Fourth-year outside linebacker Nick Vigil leads the team with 65 total tackles, two pass breakups, and a fumble recovery. Vigil had 13 tackles, a pass breakup, and a fumble recovery against the Ravens in Week Six.
—A nickel secondary is this team’s base look. Safeties Shawn Williams and Jessie Bates are second and third, respectively, on the team in tackles with 64 and 63. The team did a better job creating turnovers last year–in fact, Bates got his first career interception against Baltimore in the Bengals’ Week Two home win. But the team has intercepted just two passes over the season’s first eight games. Cornerback William Jackson has one of those INTs. Veteran Dre Kirkpatrick starts opposite Jackson with BW Webb at the nickel. Kirkpatrick didn’t practice as the week began. He is nursing a knee injury. Backup nickel Darqueze Dennard has a hamstring problem.
—Fourth-year return specialist Alex Erickson had a concussion earlier this year, but appears to be fully recovered. On punt returns, he has nine runbacks and 12 fair catches, playing to a six-yard average with no return longer than 11 yards. On kickoffs, Erickson is one of four players who have run back kicks. The team is averaging almost 30 yards per return, a figure helped by Brandon Wilson’s 37-yard average and 92-yard touchdown against the Ravens this year. The coverage teams are a mixed bag. The punt-coverage team has allowed five yards a return, while the kick-coverage unit is yielding 20 yards per runback.
—Cincinnati is one of the few teams that can match the Ravens in the kicking game. Kicker Randy Bullock missed a conversion kick last year, but he has hit all 13 of those this year. He has gone 11-for-13 on field goals. He has a current streak of nine in a row, but he has tried just once from outside 50 yards (a miss). His longest successful kick this year is 48 yards. Punter Kevin Huber has two touchbacks and 15 coffin-corner punts in 39 attempts. He is grossing 43.5 yards per punt and–thanks to good punt coverage from his teammates–is netting 41.1 per attempt.
Prediction
A rested team coming off its bye week–as the Bengals are this week–usually has an advantage. But Cincinnati’s talent level is nowhere close to Baltimore’s. Besides, the team is breaking in a new quarterback in Finley.
The Bengals play historically well in home games against Baltimore. But this Baltimore team leads the league in scoring and rushing and is using ball-control to rack up points and keep other teams off balance–just as it did last Sunday in that huge win against the Patriots.
The odds this Sunday are stacked heavily in the visitor’s favor.
Baltimore 34, Cincinnati 13
