Ravens vs. Bengals Wild Card showdown: predict the outcome

The Cincinnati Bengals begin their postseason with a chance to their bitter AFC North rivals, the Baltimore Ravens.

If quarterbacks win games, then this is about as much of a mismatch as you’ll see (of course, the Miami Dolphins could end up starting Skylar Thompson against Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills).

It’s Joe Burrow against Tyler Huntley. But the real matchup will be Cincinnati’s o-line against a tough Baltimore defense.

The Bengals’ o-line has taken some hits recently. Right tackle La’el Collins is lost for the season, and right guard Alex Cappa is out for this game at the very least. Still, the team is in a lot better shape than they were at this point last year.

As Kay Adams points out in the video below, the Bengals allowed just 14 sacks, 31 QB hits, and 42 pressures from Weeks 9 to 18 this year. Those put them third, second (tied), and first (tied) among NFL times for those categories. Last year, the team gave up 35 sacks (31st), 65 QB pressures (31st), and 90 pressures (23rd) across the same stretch.

So while the Ravens will get some big hits in, the Bengals should handle this matchup more easily than what they faced last year against the Tennessee Titans, Kansas City Chiefs, and Los Angeles Rams in the playoffs.

Okay, your turn. What’s your prediction?

And don’t forget to check out our preview of the game below:

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