OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP) — Baltimore vs. Cincinnati last month was a dream matchup for those who enjoy great quarterback play — Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow spent much of the game leading their teams up and down the field with remarkable ease.
For a defensive back, it was a bit less enjoyable.
“We felt like we should have lost,” Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey said. “We won the game, but we did not play well, especially the secondary alone. … Big plays — too many big plays — so we’re hoping to try to limit the passing attack and get going.”
The Ravens beat Cincinnati 41-38 in overtime last month. The teams traded touchdowns for a while before an interception by Humphrey enabled Baltimore to kick a tying field goal and force OT. The question now, heading into Thursday night’s rematch, is whether the defenses will be any better equipped to slow down Jackson and Burrow.
Jackson threw for 348 yards and four touchdowns and ran for 55 yards in the first meeting. Burrow threw for 392 yards and five TDs.
The Bengals (4-5) are trying to dig out of an early hole, and they’ve won three of four since that loss to Baltimore. The Ravens (6-3) have won five of six after an 0-2 start.
Jackson is coming off a perfect passer rating of 158.3 against Denver last weekend. Burrow threw five TDs in a win over Las Vegas.
Burrow unimpressed
Burrow actually wasn’t all that impressed with the Bengals’ 41-24 rout of the Raiders.
“Some good, some bad,” he said more than once in his postgame interview Sunday. “What’s there to be happy about?”
Despite the Bengals’ frequent stumbles, Burrow is having a good season. His 20 touchdown passes are tied for second in the league with Jackson, one behind Tampa Bay’s Baker Mayfield.
He’s completing 70.2% of his passes.
Controlling the ball
The Ravens had to come from behind in the first meeting against Cincinnati, in part because Derrick Henry didn’t really get going. Even after a big run in overtime to set up the winning field goal, he finished that game with only 92 yards rushing.
Establishing Henry early could help Baltimore keep Burrow and the Cincinnati offense off the field.
The Ravens have run for at least 100 yards in 42 consecutive games. That’s one shy of the NFL record held by the Pittsburgh Steelers (1974-77) and the Ravens (2018-21).
Run for it
One of the reasons the Bengals have struggled is their lack of a run game. Coming into last week’s game, they were averaging just under 90 yards per game.
The finally broke out last week in the win over the Raiders, with Chase Brown rushing for a career-high 120 yards. Brown, whose backfield partner Zack Moss is sidelined with a neck injury, carried 27 times — also a career high —and picked up chunks of yardage against a team that has struggled to stop the run.
The question is whether Cincinnati can sustain the success on the ground against the Ravens’ defense, which is No. 1 in the NFL against the run. One factor is the status of starting left tackle Orlando Brown Jr., who has been out with a knee injury.
Under the lights
Baltimore is 21-3 in prime-time home games under coach John Harbaugh. That includes an 8-0 mark on “Thursday Night Football.”
If there’s anything that might slow down these two offenses, it’s the short layoff and the possibility that players could be banged up and tired when they take the field. Although that can affect defensive players too.
“It always seems like whoever can recover the fastest is usually the team that looks the freshest,” Humphrey said. “It’s a tough turnaround, but the reward after is cool when you win to get the extra days off.”
Picking his spots
Jackson was brilliant as a passer last weekend, and he didn’t seem overly eager to take off running. That was after missing a couple of practices with back and knee issues.
“I just didn’t feel like I had to. Things were working in our favor,” Jackson said. “Guys were getting open, guys were catching the ball, linemen were protecting, running backs were catching the ball. … Everything was just going our way, and I really didn’t have to run.”
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