Is A.J. Green done in Cincinnati and other questions with Bengals Wire for Week 10

The Baltimore Ravens are riding a high after defeating both the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots. But with a second swing through the AFC North starting with the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 10, this is a make-or-break period for the Ravens.

The Bengals have changed quite a bit since the last time Baltimore played them. To get a better idea of what Cincinnati has done since Week 6, I sat down with Bengals Wire managing editor Chris Roling once again to get the inside scoop.

1) Who is Ryan Finley, and what should the Ravens expect from him?

Finley is a fourth-round rookie the Bengals traded up to get and was one of only two passers to make an official pre-draft visit with the team. Jake Dolegala, undrafted and third on the depth chart, was the other. He’s got a limited arm but better pocket presence than Andy Dalton, so he might extend some plays. But the expected rookie struggles and vanilla approach will surely be there.

2) Beyond this game, is A.J. Green done in Cincinnati? Do they have anyone that can come anywhere close to being that top dog on offense?

Despite how the Ravens handled him last time out, Tyler Boyd has the traits to be the No. 1 wideout for this offense. But yes, Green could indeed be done with the Bengals. He’s made it clear he wants to stay in town. But he’s also repeatedly noted he doesn’t want to get [franchise] tagged and that there are plenty of other teams out there. One can understand the impasse from both sides — the Bengals want to make sure he can actually get on the field before paying him, but Green probably doesn’t see a big reason to get on the field for an 0-8 team. It’s a staring contest, and given their past behavior, one the Bengals could easily lose.

3) The Bengals have the worst defense in football right now. What do you think they’ll have done during the bye to fix those issues?

Not much. The pass rush was an obvious problem before the season, and the front office didn’t do much to address it. Same story for the lack of athleticism at linebacker, which is why the Ravens crushed them on plays to the sidelines last time out. The team hasn’t made any personnel moves to mask some of these problems. Rookie Germaine Pratt should see more work in an effort to get sheer speed on the field at linebacker, but he’s been exploited by opposing offenses while he goes through growing pains.

4) How would you turn this team around if you were coach and GM?

It seems like they’ve finally admitted the quarterback problem and benched Andy Dalton. So besides actually hiring a GM and expanding a tiny scouting department, the first order is drafting a quarterback in the top five. Getting Green back under contract in an effort to do anything and everything to help a rookie passer succeed is a must. Generally speaking, spending more in free agency, with an emphasis on linebacker and offensive line to complement the draft, would be a must. At this point, you also have to re-evaluate the entire coaching staff and perhaps make big changes if they can only squeak out one or two wins. But we’re talking about a franchise that is so fundamentally different than any other that breaking down exactly how to fix everything wrong would keep us here all day.

5) What’s your final score prediction, and which Bengals player has the biggest impact (negatively or positively) on the outcome?

I think Finley is going to have the biggest negative impact. He’s making his NFL debut in the cold on a miserable team while probably playing from behind once Lamar Jackson gets going. Unfortunate for him, considering he’s trying to show the front office it doesn’t need to use a top-five pick on a passer. Ravens 31, Bengals 17