After their dramatic victory last Sunday, the Baltimore Ravens have their third consecutive divisional match as they host the Cincinnati Bengals at M&T Bank Stadium.
With the score tied at the end of regulation, the Ravens forced a turnover in overtime and Justin Tucker kicked a game-winning field goal to move Baltimore to a 3-2 record on the season.
Meanwhile, Andy Dalton and the Bengals couldn’t have got off to a worse start after losing all five of their games this season.
Ravens Must Build and Learn From Steelers Victory
John Harbaugh’s team held their nerve, in particular their kicker, in overtime last weekend to get back to winning ways, following back-to-back defeats.
A disappointing loss to the Cleveland Browns at home meant the Ravens were off top spot in the AFC North, but their win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, followed by results elsewhere, meant they climbed back up.
Lamar Jackson went 19/28 for 161-yards, one touchdown and three interceptions in the game. Baltimore’s running game was their main threat on offense, as it has been all season, and Mark Ingram will pose a major threat once again this week.
In the same fixture last season, Tucker kicked a field goal in the fourth quarter to see the Ravens to a 24-21 victory over the Bengals, but it was a close game between the divisional rivals.
Bengals Need To Snap Losing Streak To Keep Season Alive
To say that it has been a disappointing start to the season by the Bengals is probably an understatement. On both sides of the ball, they’ve been below-par.
Three of their five games ended in a defeat by three points or less, so Cincinnati have gone close to recording a victory, but have fallen short each time.
Nevertheless, Dalton has the ability to use the weapons around him, but the Bengals must get their run game going early – through Joe Mixon and Giovani Bernard.
The AFC North is still one of the closely-contested in the NFL, but Zac Taylor's team must follow up on from the 26-23 loss to the Arizona Cardinals with a strong performance otherwise their season could be over.