Baltimore is returning to the scene of late-season heartbreak, and the last time the Ravens were in Paycor Stadium, Bengals left end Sam Hubbard delivered a knockout blow in a Wild Card win.
With the Ravens on the Bengals 1-yard line looking to break a 17-17 tie early in the fourth quarter, middle linebacker Logan Wilson punched the ball out of the hands of Ravens quarterback Tyler Huntley.
Buy Ravens TicketsHubbard scooped up the fumble and returned it 99 yards for the winning score.
Lamar Jackson is back, and Baltimore has a loaded skill position group led by Odell Beckham, Mark Andrews, and Zay Flowers.
With kickoff fast approaching, here are three keys for the Ravens’ defense.
Contain Joe Burrow
Burrow averaged 213.3 yards passing in three games against the Ravens last season, but wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd might be the best trio in the game.
Including playoffs, 3 of Joe Burrow’s 4 lowest Total QBR games in 2022 came against the Ravens.
A big reason for Burrow’s struggles was Baltimore’s success playing zone coverage against him. Burrow saw zone on over 69% of his dropbacks.
— Jamison Hensley (@jamisonhensley) September 17, 2023
Baltimore will counter with Brandon Stephens, Ronald Darby and safety Geno Stone in the secondary, and they’ll be test early.
Free up Roquan Smith
Smith logged 16 tackles, and one sack in the opener and this will be his first regular season visit to Paycor Stadium as a member of the Ravens.
Smith and Patrick Queen will offer dynamic versatility at the linebacker position, and it’ll be on DC Mike MacDonald to put his dual-threat linebackers in position to dictate the tempo.
More Jadeveon Clowney
The Cleveland Browns had success pressuring Joe Burrow in Week 1 and Jadeveon Clowney could mirror his former teammate in Baltimore’s gameplan on Sunday.
Clowney was among the team leader in pressures last week and he’ll play a huge role on Sunday.
Contain Ja'Marr Chase
The two-time Pro Bowl wide receiver has averaged 115.5 yards in his five games against Baltimore, and he’s steaming mad after being held to less than 50 yards in Week 1.
