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Looking to build off their first win of the season, the Cincinnati Bengals got more good news on Friday entering a Week 5 divisional showdown with the Baltimore Ravens. As head coach Zac Taylor announced two days before the game, the team will get a lot of their key injured defensive pieces back for the rivalry contest.
Per Taylor, defensive lineman BJ Hill, Myles Murphy and McKinney Jackson will all return for Week 5, according to Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic. Defensive end Trey Hendrickson also cleared injury protocol after being listed as questionable all week after suffering a minor neck injury against the Panthers.
Murphy and Jackson will be returning from injured reserve while Hill will come back from a two-game absence due to a hamstring injury. Dehner also noted that Taylor confirmed starting defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins will be ruled out for the game and did not give an update on either cornerback Mike Hilton or linebacker Germaine Pratt.
Without either Hill or Rankins in the last two weeks, the Bengals were forced to thrust second-round rookie Kris Jenkins Jr. into the fire, who impressed in his fill-in role. The team also signed longtime New England Patriots tackle Lawrence Guy from free agency.
In the absence of its key members up front, Cincinnati allowed Panthers running back Chuba Hubbard to rush for 104 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries in Week 4. The Bengals were also unable to record a sack on quarterback Andy Dalton.
Bengals prepare for first divisional game of the season against the Ravens in Week 5
As has been the status quo for the Bengals in recent years, the 2022 Super Bowl runner-ups have gotten off to a slow start in 2024. Cincinnati recovered from an 0-3 start by picking up a win over Carolina in Week 4 but will nonetheless begin divisional play with a mere 1-3 record.
The return of Cincinnati's crucial members of the front seven will be significant in their Week 5 matchup with Baltimore, who amassed 271 rushing yards against Buffalo in Week 4. Four games into the season, star tailback Derrick Henry is averaging 120 rushing yards per game and is coming off back-to-back performances of over 150 yards on the ground.
The increasing health of the Bengals' defense is encouraging but much of the team's struggles thus far have been on offense, where they are hurting from the absence of Joe Mixon and have played half of the young season so far without Tee Higgins. Higgins returned from a hamstring injury in Week 3 and worked himself back up to a full workload in Week 4.
