The Bengals are back in action after their Week 6 bye as they head to Baltimore to take on the Ravens in a road AFC North matchup. The game kicks off at 1 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on CBS (Cincinnati’s channel 12). Here is what to watch for:

Chase Shoots for More Success vs. Ravens

Ja’Marr Chase, who will play against the Ravens for the 11th time (regular season) in his career on Sunday, has enjoyed some of his top individual stat lines when facing Baltimore. He has gone over the 100-yard receiving mark in six of those previous matchups, including each of his last four outings versus the division rival. Chase's 120.4 average receiving yards per game against Baltimore are the most by any player against a single opponent in NFL history (minimum 10 games).

Of Chase's three career games with 200+ receiving yards, two came at M&T Bank Stadium. He erupted for 201 yards on eight catches in Week 7 of his rookie season in 2021, helping lead Cincinnati to a 41-17 win, then had 264 yards and three touchdowns on 11 receptions in Week 10 of the 2024 campaign. In his last road game at Baltimore, he caught seven passes for a game-high 110 yards as the Bengals earned a victory on Thanksgiving night.

Chase, who is tied for the AFC lead with four touchdown catches this season, enters Sunday's game with 58 scoring receptions in his career. With two more, he would become the seventh player in NFL history to record 60 receiving touchdowns in his first six seasons.

Familiar Face

Among the top storylines entering Sunday's game is the first matchup of 2026 between Cincinnati and former Bengal Trey Hendrickson. Hendrickson, a four-time Pro Bowler during his five years in the Queen City, signed with Baltimore as a free agent this offseason. He has two sacks through four games played this season, with the most recent coming last week in the Ravens' loss at Cleveland.

"He's a good player," said Bengals head coach Zac Taylor earlier this week. "They've got a lot of good players on their defense, and we've got to put together a great plan to be able to execute it and give ourselves the best chance to win."

Left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. figures to see a heavy dose of Hendrickson on Sunday. The two familiarized themselves with one another during their three seasons as Bengals teammates from 2023-25, taking part in repeated individual battles on the Kettering Health Practice Field. As Brown told Bengals.com this week, those practice reps built a mutual respect that will carry into M&T Bank Stadium.

"That's who he is. That's why I respect him. He's a fighter," Brown said. "I think it helps him. I think it helps me. Just in terms of the feel. The feel of his rushes, his counter. How much? I can't put my finger on that. But at the end of the day, I've got to play Sunday."

Brown and the Cincinnati offensive line will aim to extend their streak of impressive performances in pass protection. The unit has allowed just three sacks over the last three games, highlighted by the Week 5 win at Miami in which the Bengals pitched a shutout on 32 pass attempts.

Bengals' Run Defense Faces Toughest Test

A key game within the game on Sunday will be Cincinnati's ability to limit a strong Baltimore rushing attack. The Ravens are averaging 151.5 yards on the ground per game this season, the third-best rate in the NFL, and have 29 rushing attempts that went for 10+ yards, the second-most by any team.

Leading the way for the Ravens is 11th-year running back Derrick Henry, who so far this season ranks first leaguewide in carries (130), fourth in rushing yards (534) and tied for second in rushing touchdowns (seven). While quarterback Lamar Jackson, who already had 144 rushing yards this season, has missed the past two games with an injury, backup Tyler Huntley also is capable to escape the pocket and pick up yards with his legs.

"They're both challenges," said Taylor on the Ravens' QB situation. "Tyler has played a lot of games for them over the years and done a really good job. I don't feel like they have to change anything that they're doing. You're always going to mentally prepare yourself for Lamar Jackson to play and get ourselves ready for that."

Cincinnati's defense looks to rebound from a season-high 217 rushing yards allowed at Miami. The starting defensive tackle duo of Dexter Lawrence II and Jonathan Allen could play a crucial role in keeping Henry in check and, ultimately, making the Ravens' offense one-dimensional.

Cincinnati Secondary vs. AFC Receiving Leader

The Baltimore passing attack has featured a heavy dose of Zay Flowers, who enters Week 7 leading all AFC players in receiving yards (471) while ranking second in receptions (32). Flowers is averaging 14.7 yards per catch, and 19 of his grabs have resulted in a first down.

Cincinnati's secondary has performed remarkably well against wide receivers this season, and particularly in limiting its opponent's number one option. No wideout has had more than 63 receiving yards versus the Bengals. Pittsburgh's DK Metcalf, Jacksonville's Parker Washington and Miami's Malik Washington — who each lead their respective team in that category — were all held to under 50 yards. Spearheading that effort for the Bengals is DJ Turner II, who has not allowed a catch in the past two games according to Pro Football Focus. Turner's five passes defensed this season are tied for ninth in the AFC, alongside Dax Hill. Hill could see substantial action against Flowers, who leads all NFL wide receivers with 371 receiving yards when lining up in the slot this year.

Extra Points

• Quarterback Joe Burrow’s 289.5 passing yards per game in his 11 career starts against the Ravens are the ninth-most by any QB against a single opponent in NFL history (minimum 10 games).
• Tight end Mike Gesicki has 3,992 career receiving yards, eight shy of 4,000. Gesicki's 159 receiving yards on the season rank third on the team behind Tee Higgins (423) and Chase (289).
• Kicker Evan McPherson carries a streak of 22 consecutive made field goals, dating to Week 11 of last season. It is the longest streak in Bengals history and the second-longest active streak in the NFL behind Minnesota's Will Reichard (34).
• Safety Jordan Battle is tied for the NFL lead with three interceptions this season. Battle is coming off his first career game with multiple picks in Week 5 at Miami.

Check out the Bengals 2026 Schedule.