The (4-10-1) Cincinnati Bengals close out their season at home against Lamar Jackson and the (10-5) Baltimore Ravens.
Baltimore needs a win to secure a playoff berth. Meanwhile, the Bengals will attempt to play the role of the spoiler and simultaneously win their third-straight game.
The upset-minded Bengals snapped an 11-game losing streak to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 15 and ended their two-year winless record on the road last week in Houston. Zac Taylor’s club is playing some of their best football to close out the season.
“I think we found a good rhythm,” Taylor said after the team’s second-straight win. “Guys had a good feel for the plan and executed their jobs and really fed off of each other.”
Baltimore pummeled the Bengals 27-3 in Week 5. The Ravens have won four-straight games over the Bengals. Baltimore leads the all-time series, 26-23.
“We've got to dial in on this Sunday,” Taylor said. “It's a big game for us - a divisional game. They got the better of us this year on the road, so our guys are going to be focused here this last week.”
Contain Lamar Jackson and the Ravens running game
Jackson is 4-0 as a starting quarterback versus the Bengals.
The reigning NFL MVP gained a meager three rushing yards in Baltimore’s Week 5 win over the Bengals. It was Jackson’s lowest single game rushing yards total since his rookie season. However, Baltimore used a backfield-by-committee approach to beat the Bengals. The Ravens tallied 161 yards on 24 carries versus Cincinnati.
There’s no doubt about it, the Ravens are a run-oriented team. Baltimore once again has the league’s best rushing offense. They average 177.8 rushing yards a game. Running backs J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards have each tallied over 600 rushing yards this season. Jackson’s rushed for 908 yards.
More:Cincinnati Bengals WR Tee Higgins closing in on rookie record
The two running backs and Jackson will attempt to run it down the Bengals’ throat on Sunday. Cincinnati has the NFL’s 25th ranked run defense.
“Guys just have to be sound in their technique, sound in fundamentals and do your job and not nobody else's and just beat the man in front of you,” Bengals linebacker Josh Bynes said. “You see they're on a roll offensively, and they're doing such a great job. They've been doing a great job for as long as Lamar's been there. We've definitely got a challenge this weekend.”
Handle Baltimore's blitz-heavy defense
Baltimore dials up the blitz more than any other team in the NFL. Ravens defensive coordinator Don Martindale has his defense blitz on 44% of their defensive snaps. Baltimore has 39 sacks, 84 tackles for loss and 57 quarterback hits this year.
The blitz-heavy Ravens made Joe Burrow play like a rookie in the first matchup of the season. Burrow was puzzled at times by Baltimore’s blitz schemes.
Fourth-year quarterback Brandon Allen must continue to trend upward in the season finale. Allen is coming off the best game of his career in Week 16, in which he notched career-highs in passing yards (371), completion percentage (78.38) and passer rating (126.5).
The Ravens are going to try to get after Allen in the same fashion as they did Burrow in Week 5. Cincinnati's blitz protection is key in this matchup.
Additionally, taking care of the football when pressured is also going to be critical. The Bengals had three turnovers in Baltimore in Week 5. Since 1995, whoever wins the turnover battle between the Bengals and Ravens has posted a 33-5 record.
More:Bengals Xtra: The secret behind the Bengals' Carl Lawson's rise at defensive end
“We did have some errors that were kind of unforced. They were kind of on us,” Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan said. “We are a much different team than we were then and I’m looking forward to going out there and playing those guys again.”
Get off to a fast start
The Bengals have managed to have a first-quarter lead in three of their last four games.
Getting off to a fast start on offense and making the Ravens play catch-up is the blueprint to beating them. The Ravens like to impose their will running the football. Baltimore becomes a one dimension passing team when the opposition gets out to a two-score lead against them.
Jackson can make explosive plays throwing the football, but he and the Ravens are nuclear when they can just run it down their opponent’s throat.
The Bengals jumped out to a 17-0 lead versus the Pittsburgh Steelers. If Cincinnati can explode out of the gate, they’ll be in prime position for a massive upset.
Source link
