Bengals-Ravens is a rivalry that has swung wildly in the 21st century.
Before old Ravens defensive coordinator Marvin Lewis arrived in 2003 to transform the Bengals, Baltimore was 5-1 against the Bengals. Lewis legitimized Cincy in the AFC North largely because he was 19-13 against his old team in 16 seasons.
When kicker Justin Tucker beat the Bengals in overtime of the 2013 Dalton-Green Hail Mary Game at M&T, Baltimore had won its fifth game in the last six against Cincinnati. From that point until Jackson’s first NFL start against Cincinnati, the Bengals were 8-2 against the Ravens.
Now here is Jackson and his 5-0 mark against Cincinnati and, like Lewis pitting Carson Palmer against his old defense, the Bengals defense of Hendrickson and Hubbard and Bates and Bell have to solve Jackson to get into the AFC North mix.
But it’s going to come down to quarterback Joe Burrow’s offense. The Lions, with a 32:23 time of possession, brought Baltimore to the brink and lost on the last play. The Colts had a 10-3 first-half lead with 16:24 possessing the ball before bowing to the Ravens in overtime after inexorably losing the possession time to Jackson.
And if the offense can’t keep him off the field, they have to keep up with him in scoring. So Burrow is going to need that extra touchdown Sunday. The Bengals are averaging 24 points per game, the Ravens 28. They’ve never scored more than 21 against Jackson, which is just as big a reason for his unbeaten record against them as much as his 6.6 yards per carry against them.
So when you think about it like that, the big matchup isn’t Logan Wilson chasing down Jackson. It is the Bengals’ pass protection keeping Burrow clear of the vaunted Ravens pressure. The one that hit him 15 times last year and the one that just melted Justin Herbert last week. The pressure that puts Jackson back on the field. Because, look, no matter how good your defense is, and the Bengals have their best one in years and is currently in the top ten, Jackson is going to get 24 points on a bad day.
If he has the ball. The Bengals have been just good enough on offense. But too many three-and-outs. It’s the difference between 4-2 and 5-1 and 6-0. That’s why they’re ranked 21st. They know if they disappear like they did in Detroit last week, when they went 20 minutes without a first down in the first half, Jackson can hijack the game.
The Bengals are middle of the pack in time of possession at 30:03. So maybe it’s not an extra touchdown that’s the difference, but two long drives that end in field goals that swipe about 12 minutes. Or maybe even a three-minute three-and-out as opposed to one that takes 37 seconds. Whatever it takes to nudge that clock to 33, 34, 35 minutes. A punt after a four-minute drive against the Ravens is a win because they historically turn you over so efficiently. Not as much this year without cornerback Marcus Peters and his 31 career picks (they uncharacteristically go into this one tied with the Bengals at minus-two turnover differential), but their pressure can create one at a moment’s notice. Particularly those game-changing QB sack strips from free runners the Bengals have spent the week trying to prevent.
It will be recalled that Ravens defensive coordinator Wink Martindale was peeved when the Bengals settled for a field goal late in the Ravens’ 27-3 win in Baltimore. Irony would also be the winner if the Bengals keep it long enough to win it at the end on the leg of rookie Evan McPherson. Burrow and Chase are here to match Jackson in the rivalry. Just like McPherson hopes to counter the length of the incomparable Justin Tucker as the series continues to swing wildly.
