While Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh may be clinging to his final days as the team’s head coach, the Cincinnati Bengals will move forward without star defensive end Trey Hendrickson. And here are the bold predictions as these teams prepare for a Week 15 clash.
The Ravens (6-7) are coming off a disappointing performance against the Steelers. Meanwhile, the Bengals (4-9) are clinging to the slimmest of playoff hopes, which would require a Steelers meltdown.
These teams meet in Cincinnati just two weeks after the Bengals embarrassed the Ravens by a score of 32-14.
Ravens QB Lamar Jackson will put up a vintage performance
Now that’s a bold prediction. But remember, Jackson looked great in his first three games of this season. He threw for 712 yards with nine touchdown passes and no interceptions. He also rushed for 118 yards and a score.
Since then, in seven games played, Jackson has thrown for only 1,348 yards with seven touchdowns and five interceptions. He has added only 189 yards rushing and one score.
But that changes this week. The Bengals are awful on defense. They somehow held Jackson to 273 yards and no touchdowns. Yes, zero touchdowns. They’ll pay for that this week.
This should be a shootout with Jackson matching strikes with Burrow. The Ravens will need points to win.
Here are the things people are saying anonymously about Jackson (which is supposed to make them true, but if they’re true statements, why not just come out from behind the mask?). Still, here we go, according to the secret sources from The Athletic.
“(He just) doesn’t look the same,” said an NFL executive who was granted anonymity so he could speak openly.
“He looks off with his timing,” a coach said.
“He's just not as explosive as in the past,” another executive said.
The writer of that article said maybe it’s not one thing that’s holding Jackson down.
“Usually, it’s a few things going wrong at once, among which could be Jackson playing through a more serious injury than anyone realizes,” Jeff Howe wrote. “The 28-year-old missed three games this season with a hamstring injury, but he has also missed recent practices due to ankle and toe ailments.
“However, while it’s easy to focus on the injuries, the feeling is that there’s more to it, especially since Jackson has played through injuries at various points throughout his career.”
Prove them wrong, Lamar.
Bengals QB Joe Burrow will throw for 300-plus yards
The Ravens haven’t been a particularly impressive pass defense this season. And Burrow is coming off a 284-yard, four-touchdown losing effort against the Bills. Plus, the Bengals just throw the football a whole bunch when Burrow plays.
And Burrow has learned how to deal with the downs of the NFL world. So he should bounce back quickly for the matchup against the Ravens, according to The Athletic.
“That’s been a struggle for the past couple of years, but I’ve grown and matured and understood the position we find ourselves in,” Burrow said. “Certainly, the last two weeks has shown me a lot. I’m just happy to be out there. We want to win games and be in the playoffs, and do everything that we say we are capable of doing. But when I came back, I knew it was going to be an uphill battle. We were 3-8 at that point, and that’s certainly not a playoff-caliber position to be in.”
The 4-9 season has evoked a food image for Burrow.
“That’s how the cookie crumbled this year,” Burrow said. “Obviously, I would have loved to be out there more and be able to make an impact. But that wasn’t the case.
“Obviously, we’re not where we want to be, as a team or an organization — 4-9 is not good. But we got four games to go and show high-level execution, high-level playmaking. I’m going to relish the opportunity to go out and play with these guys, and continue to try to put on a show for everybody watching.”
Bengals’ Ja’Marr Chase will look like a No. 1 WR again
He’s always that, right? Well, Chase has this many touchdowns over the last five weeks: Zero. For the season? He has five. That’s currently a career low. Last year, he had 17. Getting the picture.
Chase has a lot of catches with 91. But there have been many more empty catches than in previous seasons.
Another reason Chase should step up this week is the likely lack of Tee Higgins on the other side, according to a post on X by Adam Schefter.
“Joint statement from the NFLPA and NFL: “Tee Higgins was evaluated twice in the game and cleared to return. After the game, in discussion with club medical personnel as part of a postgame evaluation, he notified the team he was experiencing symptoms and was immediately placed in the concussion protocol.”
Of course, the Ravens might throw all of their defensive attention on Chase. But Burrow would probably defeat that strategy. This is a game where Chase could, and should, shine.
So which team wins the game? Based on the last meeting, this is going out on a limb. Prediction: Ravens 34, Bengals 31.
