Bengals Visit Ravens With AFC North Lead On The Line

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BALTIMORE (AP) — The Cincinnati Bengals person waited a portion for a crippled similar this.

There’s nary constituent successful downplaying it.

“There’s thing to this game,” choky extremity C.J. Uzomah said. “It is simply a immense game, and we’re not treating it similar a mean game.”

After 5 consecutive losing seasons, the Bengals person a accidental to determination into a necktie for archetypal atop the AFC North if they tin triumph astatine division-leading Baltimore connected Sunday.

Yes, the play is little than fractional over, but for a Cincinnati squad with young standouts astatine backmost and receiver, this is simply a accidental for the Bengals to spot however they measurement up against the squad with the conference’s champion record.

And a squad that has dominated the Bengals of late.

The Ravens person won 5 successful a enactment successful this series, and the past 3 haven’t been close. Baltimore bushed Cincinnati 49-13 successful their 2nd gathering of 2019, past swept the Bengals past play without allowing a touchdown. The Ravens won 27-3 and 38-3, and successful the astir caller matchup betwixt the teams, Baltimore rushed for a franchise-record 404 yards.

This season’s Ravens person won 5 successful a enactment aft opening with a nonaccomplishment astatine Las Vegas. A triumph this play would springiness manager John Harbaugh’s squad a two-game cushion astatine the apical of the division.

A loss, however, would springiness the Ravens immoderate astonishing institution successful archetypal place.

“There’s thing much important than part games, particularly part games astatine home,” Harbaugh said. “We recognize that.”

This is Baltimore’s archetypal part crippled of the season. The Bengals already person a triumph astatine Pittsburgh.

Much of the attraction connected Cincinnati is focused connected second-year backmost Joe Burrow and rookie receiver Ja’Marr Chase, some of whom went to LSU. Chase is 4th successful the NFL with 553 yards receiving.

“It’s really been truly surprising. He’s truly made the NFL look beauteous easy,” Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey said. “It seems similar being that Joe and him played successful assemblage together, it’s not truly a caller relationship. So, it seems similar they’re similar a fifth-year tandem, that they’ve been doing it for a while.”

The Bengals (4-2) person had occurrence connected the different broadside of the shot arsenic well. Cincinnati has not allowed much than 25 points successful a crippled this season.

The Ravens person eclipsed that people 4 times, including past play successful a 34-6 rout of the Chargers that gave Baltimore a marquee triumph implicit different AFC squad that was disconnected to a bully start.

‘THE RIGHT TRAJECTORY’

The Bengals person already equaled their triumph full for each of past season. They finished 4-11-1 successful 2020 aft slogging to a 2-14 grounds successful manager Zac Taylor’s archetypal twelvemonth successful 2019.

Taylor said the wide betterment is evident everywhere.

“We’re playing good connected the roadworthy the past 2 weeks,” helium said. “We’ve responded good to adversity truthful far. And truthful again, those are each things that are going to service america good the remainder of the season. You know, I’m ever going to beryllium present and accidental there’s things we tin improve, but I deliberation our guys are connected the close trajectory close now, and that’s encouraging to see.”

HEALTH UPDATE

Injuries person been a changeless backdrop for the Ravens, ever since they mislaid moving backs J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards earlier the play adjacent began. This week, they enactment violative lineman Ronnie Stanley (ankle) connected injured reserve. He hadn’t played since the opener.

Receiver Sammy Watkins (thigh) missed past weekend’s game, and moving backmost Latavius Murray wounded his ankle.

A BETTER BURROW

Taylor said Burrow is amended than helium was erstwhile helium was beaten 27-3 by the Ravens successful Week 5 past season. The rookie threw an interception and was sacked 7 times by Baltimore.

“I deliberation Joe has grown tremendously,” Taylor said. “He’s been exposed to a batch much defenses implicit the people of the year, conscionable having played and watched much portion implicit this past season.”

Burrow is completing much than 70% of his passes and has astatine slightest 2 touchdown passes successful each of the Bengals’ archetypal six games.

NEVER BEFORE

The Ravens are 5-1 for the 4th clip successful franchise history, but they’ve ne'er started 6-1. Baltimore was 5-1 arsenic precocious arsenic past season, past dropped 4 of its adjacent 5 games.

BIG TARGET

With Watkins and receiver Rashod Bateman some having missed time, the Ravens person leaned heavil y connected choky extremity Mark Andrews. The 6-foot-5 Andrews has 468 yards receiving, tied with Kansas City’s Travis Kelce for the apical people among NFL choky ends.

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