Ravens Have Prime Opportunity To Iron Out The Kinks Offensively, Defensively Against Winless Bengals
BALTIMORE (WJZ) – Another week and another AFC North matchup awaits the Baltimore Ravens.
This week the winless Cincinnati Bengals come to town.
The Bengals have been in three close games this year and could easily be 3-2 sitting tied for first place with the Ravens.
Cincinnati, however, has been bitten by the injury bug which certainly hasn't helped the team this season.
Baltimore won't have to worry about covering wide receiver A.J. Green, who Cincinnati said won't practice this week, due to an injury that his kept him sidelined this season.
The Ravens, however, need to focus on righting their own ship which has not looked strong in recent weeks.
Lamar Jackson, and the usually feared Baltimore defense, have been struggling and do not appear to be capable of beating a formidable opponent.
This week the Ravens need to take care of business at home against a winless Bengals team to keep pace in the AFC North as their schedule amps up.
Here are the keys to a Ravens win this week:
Lamar Jackson, show us what you're made of
It's no secret that Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson hasn't played well the last two weeks. He has thrown the ball into double and triple coverage at times which has led to five interceptions. Jackson also struggled with his accuracy Week 5 against the Steelers. He completed just 67 percent of his passes. This week is chance for Jackson to get back on track against a Bengals defense ranked 31st this season.
Where's the pass rush been this year?
The Ravens are getting absolutely no pass rush against opposing quarterbacks. Last week in Pittsburgh, Mason Rudolph and Devlin Hodges had all day to stand in the pocket and were able to pick apart the Ravens secondary. That will only intensify this week against Andy Dalton. If the Ravens give Dalton too much time in the pocket, he will have a field day at M&T Bank Stadium. It's time for the Ravens defensive front to step it up.
It can't all fall on Justin Tucker
The Ravens have the best kicker in the league, and arguably in NFL history, with the likes of Justin Tucker. Tucker kicked four field goals in Baltimore's 26-23 overtime win over Pittsburgh. It's great to have a reliable kicker, but field goals don't always win games. The Ravens need to capitalize when they get the ball in the red zone. In fact, two of Tucker's four kicks against the Steelers came between 20 and 29 yards. When the Ravens get the ball that deep in their opponents' territory, they need to be coming away with touchdowns.
The Ravens take on the Bengals from M&T Bank Stadium at 1 p.m. Sunday. You can catch the game right here, on WJZ.
