Four Downs: Cincy Hates to See Lamar Comin’

The Baltimore Ravens have evened up their record with two wins after two losses. The next challenge in front of Lamar Jackson and company is a visit to Cincinnati to take on the Bengals. Here’s the four things that you have to think about for the Ravens’ first AFC North clash.

First Down: Don’t Fix What Isn’t Broken  

The number one thing that stands out from the Ravens win over the Buffalo Bills, and even their tussle in Texas with the Cowboys, is that the strength of the backfield has become their key component to success. Derrick Henry and Lamar Jackson are both top five in rushing yards this season. Henry is coming off back-to-back games with over 150 yards and around 25 rushing attempts. How many receptions do you think Justice Hill has this year? It may be surprising but he has 16 receptions on 18 targets for 161 yards. The play-action passing game has more respect at the moment than a firm handshake ever did. All it takes is a couple of nice running plays and there are plays to be had down the field. The big thing going into Cincinnati is to lean into what is working.

Running the football has become the antidote for the offensive line woes. Using the blocking prowess of Pat Ricard and Mark Andrews is opening up wide rushing lanes. Daniel Faalele is much more proficient as a run blocker and he is much less victimized in pass protection when the defense doesn’t have the luxury of keying off on his inexperience at right guard. The offensive line went from a complete liability to part of the winning formula. The Ravens have to keep their focus on operating this offense through the running game. Baltimore leads the NFL in yards per game. There’s something working here. The Ravens must keep doing what is working. The worst thing Todd Monken can do is to get cute with the play-calls and get away from the best backfield combination in the NFL.

Second Down: Watch Out for The Bengals’ X-Factor

We know about Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. The X-Factor for the Bengals offense though is second year player Andrei Iosivas. He has 11 receptions for 114 yards and three touchdowns in the first four weeks of the season. What does he bring to the table? He has a 6-3 build that provides Joe Burrow with another target with a huge catch radius. Iosivas has made several chunk plays catching the ball down the seams and the middle of the field. When you have to cover two of the best receivers in the NFL and Mike Gesicki, Iosivas is the kind of player that can be forgotten. The Bengals may be 1-3, but they have the best ensemble of weapons that the Ravens have faced.

The Ravens have done a good job limiting Chase in recent games. In two games last year, he tallied only five total receptions. With most of the Bengals weapons the Ravens are familiar and comfortable facing them. With Iosivas’s elevated role in the offense, the Ravens have to have a plan accounting for his presence.

Third Down: Winning Matchups Up Front is Key

We’ve established that the Ravens have a lot of weapons to cover. The best antidote to the Bengals’ potentially prolific offense is a good pass rush. The Ravens will be boosted if their pass rushers can do what they did against the Bills: winning one on one matchups upfront. Kyle Van Noy had two sacks against Josh Allen while David Ojabo had one. The Ravens didn’t have to blitz too much or too recklessly because their players were winning the battles upfront. There may have only been two sacks yet there was a lot of pressure.

Pressures always lead to something good or put wear on the opposing offense. This component of the game plan is a simple one. Zach Orr can scheme up pressure looks and decide how he wants to switch up his coverages but it boils down to how much pass rush the Ravens can generate without sending more than the occasional and well timed blitz.

Fourth Down: Cincy Hates to See Lamar Comin’

Baltimore swept Cincinnati last season. The Bengals have eaten up the Ravens nicely when Lamar Jackson has been missing in action. They won a playoff game in the 2022-2023 season against Tyler Huntley. They won the late season game in 2022 with Anthony Brown as the Ravens starting quarterback. When Jackson plays, the Ravens typically get the upper hand. Jackson has an 8-1 record against Cincinnati as a starting quarterback. Paul Brown Stadium is the place where Jackson had his famous spin move and where Kevin Harlan declared “He is Houdini!” (Harlan is on the call this week as well.)

Jackson’s last game in the Queen City was memorable. He threw for 237 yards and two touchdowns, while picking up 54 yards on the ground. In the Ravens’ last showdown with the Bengals, Jackson had 264 yards in the air and another 54 on the ground. The Bengals know when they face Jackson they are seeing a quarterback who can put up over 300 total yards and a couple touchdowns on them. The Ravens have long patches of their history where the Bengals were the thorn in their side. With Jackson on the field the rivalry has a completely different identity.

Look for Jackson to deliver similar results on Sunday.

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