Since the Cincinnati Bengals hired head coach Zac Taylor, the right guard has always had one of the most important responsibilities.
When the Bengals are in a loud road environment, they need to go to a silent count and use a nonverbal cue to signal for the snap. Whether or not it was a five-year veteran like John Miller or a rookie making his first start in Jackson Carman, the right guard has always tapped the center on the right shoulder.
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Facing the Baltimore Ravens, it’s more important to get that right than it is against any other NFL team. The Ravens have blitzed more than 40% of the time, the most in the NFL, over the last two seasons. And when the Bengals play at Baltimore on Sunday, the right guard will be the first part of executing that process.
“Each week, (the Ravens) identify how they want to attack you,” Taylor said. “They've always done a great job combining their coverage with the (defensive line), and then you add the pressure on top of it. It's a tough recipe there.”
Heading into the game against the Ravens, the Bengals have as much uncertainty at right guard as they’ve had all season.
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In the offseason, the Bengals had the opportunity to sign a veteran. Former Bengal Kevin Zeitler was one of the best options on the free agent market, but he signed with the Ravens and will face the Bengals on Sunday. Xavier Su’a-Filo was the Bengals starting right guard at the start of the year. After he injured his knee, he lost that spot to Carman.
Then after Week 5, Carman tested positive for COVID-19 and went on the COVID-19 list for three days. Because Carman wasn’t able to practice on Wednesday or Thursday heading into the game against the Detroit Lions, rookie center Trey Hill made his first NFL start at right guard in Detroit. After Hill committed two penalties, Carman took his place and played 23 snaps.
“He had a couple of really nice pass sets, and he was good in the run game,” offensive coordinator Brian Callahan said. “And then you could see him getting tired and the illness start to affect him as he got closer to exiting. He just kind of wore down, it felt like. He gave us everything he had.”
Then in the third quarter, Carman went to the locker room with an illness. Heading into this week’s game against the Ravens, Carman was limited in practice on Wednesday for the same reason.
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If Carman returns to start at right guard against the Ravens, he’ll face the biggest challenge of his NFL career.
“The more defenses he sees, the more he is going to continue to improve,” Taylor said. “There are always going to be things that are a little bit new, that happened fast. He's just got to continue to be mature, which he has, and just keep soaking it all in every week.”
VOICE REST: Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow didn’t participate in his weekly press conference on Wednesday. Since the Bengals Week 5 game against the Green Bay Packers, Burrow has dealt with a throat injury.
“Throat was sore after the game but (is) continuing to improve every day,” Burrow said in a written statement. “Last year’s game (against the Ravens) was a tough experience that you’re able to take a lot from. They’re a tough physical team and you have to match that, if you want to have a chance to beat them.”
GETTING CLOSER: Bengals edge rusher Khalid Kareem injured his shoulder in the Bengals final preseason game, and he returned to practice last week.
While Kareem had a full week of practice last week, Taylor said Kareem won’t play against the Ravens.
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“This will be a good week for him,” Taylor said. “(Last) week was kind of the introductory week, now let's see what you've got and continue to evaluate him into next week."
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