The Ravens won their fifth straight game last week and pulled even with the Steelers at 6-5 overall. By virtue of tiebreakers, though, the Ravens are now atop the division. While the Ravens’ turnaround after a 1-5 start has been more than commendable, they continue to win in unimpressive fashion.
Baltimore’s offense was sluggish and uninspiring against the New York Jets, similar to their win over the Cleveland Browns two weeks ago. Lamar Jackson had a second consecutive subpar performance with no touchdowns as the Ravens were outgained by the Jets in total yards. Thanks to the efforts of their defense and special teams, the Ravens were able to tread water and finally find offensive rhythm later in the game.
On deck now is a more high-stakes matchup versus the Cincinnati Bengals, their first matchup of the season series this year. The Ravens are hosting the Bengals on Thursday night for the third consecutive season and they’re seeking another victory. To keep their winning ways going, the Ravens will need to be crisper and more precise on offense, as the Bengals will almost surely score more than the Browns and Jets.
Cincinnati’s defense is ranked historically poor in a number of categories. So, while the return of quarterback Joe Burrow makes their offense more potent, the Ravens should be able to find a groove on offense given the advantageous matchup. It starts up front with the offensive line, which is in dire need of a well-rounded game in both pass protection and run blocking.
On the other end of this week’s divisional contest is the aforementioned Bengals, who fell to 3-8 last week with a fourth consecutive loss. The Bengals kept pace with the New England Patriots for much of the game and pulled to within one possession before ultimately bowing out, 26-20. It was their third loss by 6 points or less over the past four weeks.
Any chance the Bengals have of climbing back into postseason contention is now on life alert and they’ll need to win out the rest of the way to finish 9-8. Coming to the rescue, at least the team is hoping, is star quarterback Joe Burrow — who is set to make his return from injury after a multiple-month absence. Ja’Marr Chase is also returning after a one-game suspension, but his running mate Tee Higgins is out with a concussion.
While Higgins’ absence is a big one, the Bengals’ offense is still plenty capable of moving the ball consistently and scoring in bunches. The Ravens’ defense has been much improved over the past several weeks, so the Bengals will need to be firing on all cylinders. Burrow finding a groove and shaking off any potential rust early will be paramount.
On the other side of the ball, the Bengals actually showed some resistance against the Patriots last week but are still in bad shape without Trey Hendrickson in the lineup. They’ll need to take advantage of a banged-up Jackson and hope the Ravens’ offense continues to struggle with execution and blocking up front. If the Bengals can win in the trenches, they’ll have a chance to pull off this Thanksgiving Day upset.
The Browns earned their third win of the season last week in a wire-to-wire performance in Las Vegas, where they beat the Raiders 24-10. Cleveland jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter and allowed just three points through the first three quarters.
All eyes were on Shedeur Sanders in his first career start at quarterback, and he completed 11-of-20 passes for 209 yards with a touchdown and interception. Sanders did enough to retain the starting role moving forward over Dillon Gabriel, who cleared concussion protocol. The Browns will now pivot to a tougher matchup against the San Francisco 49ers, who are 8-4, albeit on their home turf.
The Browns still have much to figure out offensively with Sanders at the helm, as they gained just 11 first downs and less than 300 offensive yards against a porous Raiders’ defense. They only ran for 64 yards on 27 carries, too. The 49ers’ defense is a much stronger unit, but they’re very banged up and vulnerable. Finding more efficiency running the ball will be important to make the game easier for Sanders.
Defensively, the Browns could have some success against Brock Purdy, who threw three first-half interceptions in San Francisco’s game last week. If the Browns can fluster Purdy and force the 49ers into turnovers, they’ll give themselves a chance to keep the contest close. The Browns already pulled off a much greater upset over the Green Bay Packers at home earlier this season.
The Steelers lost a narrow 31-28 contest against the Chicago Bears last week, squandering their first-place spot atop the division standings. After taking a lead into halftime, the Steelers came back from a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter but failed to score on their final drive to either tie or win the game. The Steelers narrowly had more first downs, total yards, and won the time of possession — but to no avail.
Pittsburgh’s offense managed to score four touchdowns with Mason Rudolph under center in relief of Aaron Rodgers. The Steelers had their best rushing performance of the season with 186 yards on the ground and two touchdowns, while averaging 5.2 yards per carry as a team. Rodgers is likely to return this week for a pivotal matchup against the Buffalo Bills this Sunday.
The Bills are an undoubtable tall task with MVP quarterback Josh Allen at the helm, but they’ve shown some vulnerabilities in recent weeks. Buffalo has lost two of their past three games and were stifled by the Texans last Thursday night. The Steelers’ defense has been up-and-down all season but have had some games in which they’ve forced numerous turnovers. Allen has thrown five interceptions during the Bills’ three-game stretch recently, inspiring confidence that the Steelers may be able to come up with takeaways in this matchup.
The Steelers may also be set up to sustain their success running the ball for a second straight game, too, as Buffalo’s run defense has been below-average this year. Taking pressure off Rodgers, who is nursing a fractured arm injury, will help the Steelers’ chances of pulling off what would be a huge upset this Sunday.
See More:
* [Baltimore Ravens analysis](/baltimore-ravens-analysis)
* [Baltimore Ravens Game Information](/baltimore-ravens-game-information)