Previewing The Ravens Vs Bengals Thursday Night Football Showdown
The Baltimore Ravens will host the Cincinnati Bengals at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore to open up Week 11 of the NFL season. The game is scheduled for Thursday, November 14, 2023, at 8:15 PM Eastern Time broadcasted nationally by Amazon Prime.
The Ravens are coming off a 33-31 heartbreaking loss to the Cleveland Browns in Week 10. It was a game where Baltimore led by two touchdowns early in the fourth quarter before allowing the Cleveland to rally and kick a last second field goal as time expired. Despite the loss, quarterback Lamar Jackson did everything he could to keep his team in it. He accounted for 264 out of 306 yards of total offense for the team. His two turnovers and lack of ground game from the running backs contributed to the loss. Defensively, the Ravens were overtaken at the line of scrimmage as the Browns rushed for 178 yards in the contest.
The Bengals are also coming off a close loss. They fell to the Houston Texans by a score of 30-27. Quarterback Joe Burrow had nearly 350 passing yards, two touchdowns, but also two interceptions. Cincinnati's defense struggled against Houston as they allowed 544 yards of total offense. Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud passed for 350 yards and running back Devin Singletary rushed for 150 yards. Despite the poor performance on defense, the Bengals had a chance at the end as they tied the game with about a minute left before a Texans game winning field goal drive.
Ravens And Bengals Have Already Faced Off This Year
The Bengals and Ravens have already faced each other once this season, with the Ravens winning 27-24 in Week Two. Lamar Jackson played a clean game passing for 237 yards, two touchdowns, and no turnovers. He also rushed for 54 yards on the ground. An interception thrown by Joe Burrow on the opening drive of the second half tilted what was a close game at that point in Baltimore's favor. The Bengals were not able to rally back until it was too late.
In order to win the game on Thursday Night, the Ravens will need to play with more consistency on both sides of the ball. Jackson will need to continue to make plays with his arm and his legs, while getting support from those around him, and the Ravens’ defense will need to do a better job of getting pressure on Burrow and forcing turnovers.
On the other hand, the Bengals will need another strong performance out of Joe Burrow and their defense has to take a major step up from last week's poor performance. The Bengals will also need to avoid turnovers and penalties, which have been a problem for them at times this season.
Injuries could potentially be a concern for both teams. Three key Bengals starters, wide receiver Tee Higgins (hamstring) and edge rushers Trey Hendrickson (knee) and Sam Hubbard (ankle) did not practice this week. As for the Ravens, missing from practice were left tackle Ronnie Stanley and cornerback Marlon Humphrey. It is too early to determine who may or may noy play.
The Prediction
This upcoming game is huge for AFC playoff implications. The Ravens lead the division at 7-3, so a win would put them at a commanding lead. However, a loss would open the door for any of the other three teams to take that spot. The Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns both sit at 6-3 and the Bengals are 5-4. With the expanded wildcard playoff format, all four teams could potentially make the postseason.
Ravens-Bengals is expected to be a closely contested matchup between two hated rivals. The Bengals will be looking to avenge their earlier loss to the Ravens this season and continue their push for a playoff spot. The Ravens, on the other hand, will be looking to stay atop the best division in football so far in 2023.
Ravens 24 Bengals 21
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