Cincinnati Bengals vs. Baltimore Ravens Preview & Prediction | PFF

Cincinnati Bengals vs. Baltimore Ravens Preview & Prediction | PFF

PFF is running one of their biggest sales ever. 40% off a PFF plus subscription right now using the promo code black Friday. That means that you get everything fully unlocked. You get the grades, you get the stats, you get all the fantasy advice, the betting advice, which our new player prop tool is available on web as well to make you a smarter better. You’ve got all the draft analysis, the free agency analysis, all of that great stuff. Subscribe.pff.com to get 40% off a year-long PFF Plus subscription. Get it now. It’s the Cincinnati Bengals traveling to the Baltimore Ravens to take on the Ravens. Sure looks like Joe Burrow’s playing in this game. That all the talk is that Joe Burrow is going to play and that he’s coming back for Cincinnati. Uh I think that that will mean a great deal for this team, but I know that you wanted to talk about the Ravens side of things first for this matchup. Yeah, I I think look, they haven’t the Ravens tight ends haven’t been as productive as we’re used to seeing. Whether that’s Mark Andrews not being as explosive as he used to be or Isaiah likely being hurt and just in general the offense kind of schematically being a bit clunky and not being able to get the those guys the ball as efficiently as usual. But if there’s any game where they’re going to get back on track, it’s against these Cincinnati Bengals and their struggling middle of the field defense. You look at the Bengals against tight ends this year. Tied for 29th in coverage grade. Tied for 30th in receptions allowed. So third most in in the league. Most yards allowed, most touchdowns allowed, most explosive plays allowed. And this is especially a problem when it comes to facing play action. And the Bengals have faced more playaction passes than any team in the league. Why? Because they’re starting two rookie linebackers. And those guys step up real hard towards the run because they struggle at stopping the run, too. And then you have all that space over the middle field behind them. You saw that against New England last week. Hunter Henry with a huge game. Austin Hooper getting some. Also, I I just think when you look at the Ravens and the play action heavy approach and how good Lamar Jackson has been in play action passing this season, I I kind of almost go back to that game plan they had in his first game back against the Miami Dolphins. Get in heavy sets, get the let let the Bengals load up the box, let those guys step up against the run and just throw it right over their heads to these tight ends. I think this should be a game, even though he’s been quiet for most of the year. I think this should be a game where Mark Andrews could have a big one because the Bengals just really have not shown that they can cover tight ends at all this year. Yeah, and they absolutely need him to. I I feel as though that tight end factor, we thought it would be a lot better for the Ravens just throughout the year and and obviously they’ve they haven’t had the year that they’ve wanted on offense even when Lamar has been out there and and we we pointed that out on the Monday show and even last week, honestly, last week, Wednesday, did we did we lo we lost him on the Boston Wi-Fi there? Yeah. Ah, Thanksgiving Thanksgiving week. Gotta love it. No, absolutely. I mean, but you, like Trev was saying, you look at the story for the Bengals here and you look at Joe Burrow having to come back right now without T. Higgins out due to a concussion. Jamar Chase back from the oneame suspension. That’s going to be a big factor obviously and Burrow put up huge numbers against the Ravens in both games last year. So, you you look at you back, Trev. We we got you back or no? Not yet. Not yet. I’ll Yeah, you’re good. But I thought I heard one of you in my ear. But no, I mean, Burrow, look, he’s going to have to carry this Bengals team like he always does and this Bengals team, they’ve got to, you know, they’ve got to figure it out on defense to get enough stops against Lamar and this struggling offense. But Trevor’s back now, so he can take his side of the argument on this. Sorry. Sorry. We’re working with Hotel Internet this week, folks. Holiday Chapels, it is what it is. Um, Bengals side of things. I was I was sort of getting to my talk about the Bengal side of things. Burrow coming back, I do think means a great deal. And is Barrow going to play inside linebacker for this team? No, he’s not. And uh I think that that’s probably the biggest upgrade that they would need is something on the defensive side of the ball. But I will point this out too. Last four weeks, Joe Flacco has had the fourth highest uncatchable inaccurate pass rate in the NFL. He’s also had just the 13th plus accuracy throws that we’ve charted in the NFL. So like a plus accuracy isn’t just like okay like yeah you hit the guy you know where he was able to catch the football. It’s like okay you threw the ball to where you hit your receiver in stride away from coverage gave him the ability to have a lot of yards after catch. That’s a plus accuracy throw. So Flaco has been outside the top 10 middle of the pack when it has come to those plus accuracy throws. But specifically, it’s been the heavy drop off and the high um inaccurate uncatchable passes that Flaco has thrown over the last month. That’s where I think Joe Burrow is different. That that’s where I think it’s it’s not the spectacular throws that the Bengals haven’t had. I think that they have actually had those things surprisingly with Joe Flacco in the lineup, but it’s those, you know, on a throw to throw basis, how accurate are the passes? Are you giving your wide receivers a chance? Like that’s what Joe Burrow is all about. And so with him getting back in the lineup, this might be foolish, but I really do think that even without T. Higgins in this game, it’s just going to be elevated for the group. There’s there’s there’s something to the incredible confidence that you have when your allpro type of quarterback is now back in the lineup for you. And the attitude that Joe Bau has had the whole time of, yeah, okay, like, so we’re probably not going to make the playoffs. I I I mean, I don’t care. We’re not eliminated yet. And I’m a football player. I’m going to go out there and play if I’m healthy. So, I think just that attitude rally around Burrow being their quarterback once again. Uh, I think the Bengals get a little boost here. And like I said, I don’t know if this is foolish of me, if I’m just drinking too much of that Kool-Aid of of of the hype of Burrow coming back, but I’m actually going to go with Cincinnati. I’m going to take Cincinnati 24 to 20. I just don’t love how the Ravens have been playing on offense. It feels like it’s been very very inconsistent. Lamar Jackson isn’t involving his legs in the run game nearly as much as he has throughout his entire career. Perhaps the linebackers continue to struggle and struggle so much that the tight ends become a major factor in this game and and the Ravens end up winning it. But with Burrow out there, I’m I’m taking Cincinnati in this one. I’m going take Cincinnati to win. I I don’t know if it’s foolish, but it’s too foolish for me to do. I’m not I’m not doing it. I think the Ravens are hot right now. I really like the way their defense is playing. Ever since they realigned it and into the ideal way that they needed to ever since the Aloh Gilman trade, I think they’ll find enough uh with Derrick Henry on the ground with the tight ends in the passing game. I’m going to take the Ravens at home.

PFF’s Dalton Wasserman and Trevor Sikkema preview the matchup between The Cincinnati Bengals and The Baltimore Ravens.

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