The Baltimore Ravens take on the winless Cincinnati Bengals in Week 6 as they look to boost their place in the AFC North standings. A win over their division rivals would could help Baltimore put some distance between their first-place status and the second-place Cleveland Browns, who will have their hands full with the talented Seattle Seahawks.
Baltimore is going to need their offense to play strong all day. To get the most out of the offense, these are the three things they have to do.
Run, run, run:
The Bengals have one of the worst run defenses in the league, giving up 175-plus rushing yards in three of five games, including two games with 259 or more yards on the ground. Meanwhile, the Ravens enter with the second-best rushing attack in the league, averaging 192 yards on the ground in each game. Running back Mark Ingram II, acquired this offseason, is built for AFC North football. Running him hard and early will help break down Cincinnati’s defense and wear them out.
With how the offensive line has struggled in giving quarterback Lamar Jackson time to throw, the run game will do a lot to temper any pass rush from the Bengals as well. Once Baltimore establishes the run, they should find more success passing the ball in the second half, if they even need to.
Take what the defense gives them:
One of Baltimore’s biggest problems this season offensively has been taking deep shots a little too often. While that’s certainly paid off early in the season, defenses are beginning to scheme against that style of play.
Though defenses catering to the big play has left other routes open, Jackson has forced the ball downfield even when guys are covered. Combine that with Jackson being a little off in his deep accuracy over the last three weeks and the offense is effectively wasting downs.
Take a look at the breakdown of Jackson’s throws from the last three games for a clearer picture:
| Throw distance | Att | Comp | Comp % | TD | TD % | INT | INT % |
| < LOS | 13 | 11 | 84.6% | 0 | 0% | 1 | 7.7% |
| 0-10 yds | 61 | 44 | 72.1% | 1 | 1.6% | 1 | 1.6% |
| 10-20 yds | 15 | 7 | 46.7% | 3 | 20% | 1 | 6.3% |
| 21+ yds | 16 | 3 | 18.8% | 0 | 0% | 2 | 12.5% |
When the Ravens have taken underneath and quick routes, the offense has gotten into a rhythm and marched down the field. When Jackson has thrown passes of under 21 yards, he’s 62-of-92 (67.4%) with four touchdowns and only a 3.3% interception rate.
Instead of heaving the ball down the field and hoping everything clicks, Jackson has to trust his eyes and gut, and take what the defense gives him.
Keep their foot down:
The Ravens have had a history of letting up when they get a decent lead. While that has generally worked out for them before, Baltimore’s defense isn’t like the ones we’re used to and might not be able to hold a lead as well this season.
That means the Ravens can’t coast in the second half if they get ahead, especially if Cincinnati begins defending them well. Cincinnati still has enough talent on offense to strike quickly if Baltimore starts looking ahead to Week 7 early.
