NFL Week 17 Primer: Cincinnati Bengals (4-10-1) vs. Baltimore Ravens (10-5)

The Bengals have done plenty to help carry some momentum into 2021, but can they keep that going against the Ravens?

Cincinnati is flying pretty high off of their best passing performance since Joe Burrow went down for the season. Brandon Allen became the third starting quarterback to win a game for the Bengals this season, and his 300 yard performance with two touchdowns was a huge reason they got the win. Running back Samaje Perine also enjoyed a career-high performance with over 100 total yards and two touchdowns.

Sledding may be a little tougher against the Ravens defense that ranks in the top 10 of most major defensive categories except for passing yards (14th). The last time these teams met Cincinnati only managed three points, and it was one of the first times Burrow looked like a rookie, which was mostly due to the insane pressure Baltimore was able to put on him sacking him seven times. The Ravens will look to repeat that performance after recording 39 sacks on the season and six last week.

The Bengals defense had a pretty solid plan to slow down the Ravens offense in Week 5. They were able to contain Lamar Jackson and their high powered running game for most of the game. It will be interesting to see if Cincinnati has found a blueprint to keeping Baltimore from turning this game into either a blow out or shootout. If they can, maybe they have a shot at another improbable upset.

Everything you need to know for when the Bengals take on the Ravens:

Game: Cincinnati Bengals (4-10-1) vs. Baltimore Ravens (10-5)

Date/Time: Jan. 3rd, 2020 at 1:00 p.m. EST

Location: Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio

Series Leader: The Ravens lead the series 26-23

Streak: The Ravens have won the past four meetings

Coaches vs. Opponent: Zac Taylor: (0-3). John Harbaugh (13-12)

Television: The game will air on CBS-TV. In the Bengals’ home region, it will be carried by WKRC-TV (Ch. 12) in Cincinnati, WHIO-TV (Ch. 7) in Dayton and on WKYT-TV (Ch. 27) in Lexington. Broadcasters are Spero Dedes (play-by-play) and Adam Archuleta (analyst).

Online Stream: Use a free trial of fuboTV to watch the game.

Radio Broadcast: The game will air on the Bengals Radio Network, led by Cincinnati flagship stations WLW-AM (700), WCKY-AM (ESPN 1530; all sports) and WEBN-FM (102.7). Broadcasters are Dan Hoard (play-by-play) and Dave Lapham (analyst).

SB Nation the Ravens’ site: Baltimore Beatdown

Weather: Low 40’s, scattered showers [NFL weather]

Odds: Bengals open, +13.5 [Odds Shark]

Bengals notes

• Quarterback Brandon Allen completed 29 of 37 passes (78.4 percent) for a career-high 371 yards with two touchdowns for a 126.5 passer rating last week. He aims for his third game in a row with a touchdown pass without an interception and a passer rating of at least 95.
• Running back Giovanni Bernard had a season-high 131 scrimmage yards (66 receiving and 65 rushing) last week. He aims for his third game in a row with 95 yards from scrimmage. He has 764 scrimmage yards this season (409 rush and 355 receiving) and is one of two running backs (Frank Gore) with at least 400 scrimmage yards in each of the past eight seasons. Running back Samaje Perine led the team with a career-high 136 yards from scrimmage (95 rushing and 41 receiving) and two rushing touchdowns in Week 16.
• Wide receiver Tyler Boyd had 42 receiving yards in the Week 5 meeting with the Ravens. He has at least six catches in two of his past three games against the AFC North. Rookie wide receiver Tee Higgins had six catches for 99 yards and a touchdown last week. He has at least five catches in four of the past five games. He had 62 receiving yards in his last game against Baltimore. He has 70 receiving yards and a touchdown catch in two of his past three games against the AFC North. He ranks second among rookies with 908 receiving yards, third with 67 catches and tied for third with six receiving touchdowns.
• Safety Jessie Bates has a pass defense in two of his past three games. He had seven tackles and two passes defended in the Week 5 meeting against the Ravens. He had an interception in the last home game against Baltimore. He aims for his fourth game in a row against the Ravens with a pass deflection. Safety Vonn Bell had eight tackles and a forced fumble last week. He aims for his third game in a row with seven tackles and a forced fumble. He ranks third among safeties with a career-high 111 tackles. Cornerback Darius Phillips had a career-high nine tackles and had two pass deflections along with his first forced fumble of the season last week. He aims for his fourth game in a row with at least two passes defended. Defensive end Sam Hubbard had a sack and his first forced fumble of the season in Week 16, which helped seal the win over the Texans. He has a pass deflection in two of his past three games.

Ravens notes

• Quarterback Lamar Jackson completed 17 of 26 passes (65.4 percent) for 183 yards and two touchdowns for a 111.5 passer rating and rushed for 80 yards last week. He aims for his fifth game in a row with a passer rating over 100 and third in a row with at least two touchdown passes. He leads quarterbacks with 908 rush yards in 2020.
• Rookie running back J.K. Dobbins rushed for 77 yards and a touchdown last week. He aims for his sixth game in a row with a rushing touchdown. He had 55 scrimmage yards (34 rushing and 21 receiving) in Week 5 meeting against the Bengals. He ranks tied for third among rookies with seven rushing touchdowns. Running back Gus Edwards led team with season-high 122 scrimmage yards (85 rushing and 37 receiving) in Week 16. He aims for his third game in a row with 75 scrimmage yards. He aims for his fourth game in a row against the AFC North with a rushing touchdown. He has a rushing touchdown in four of his past five game on the road.
• Tight end Mark Andrews aims for his sixth game in a row with five catches and 60 receiving yards. He aims for his third game in a row against the Bengals with a touchdown. He has 17 receiving touchdowns since 2019, the most among tight ends. Wide receiver Marquise Brown had a receiving touchdown last week and has a receiving touchdown in four of the past five games. He aims for his third game in a row against Cincinnati with at least 75 receiving yards and a touchdown catch. Wide receiver Dez Bryant aims for his third game in a row with a touchdown catch.
• Cornerback Marlon Humphrey had six tackles and a season-high three pass deflections last week. He has a pass defense in two of his past three games. He had a sack and a forced fumble when these two teams met in Week 5. He has five pass defenses in his past four against the Bengals. Linebacker Matthew Judon aims for his third game in a row with a sack and has a sack in four of his past five games. Linebacker Chris Board had a career-high two sacks in Week 16.