Despite playing the coldest game in 25 years at Paycor Stadium (about 13 degrees), the Bengals and Ravens were poised Sunday to heat up the place with points.
It's the coldest home game since the Bengals beat Jacksonville, 17-14, on the last play of a nine-degree day in the first year of the stadium on Dec. 17, 2000. And the Bengals' coldest anywhere since a 16-degree night at Mile High in Denver.
The opposing quarterbacks came into this one 1-2 in touchdown passes per game the last two seasons with the Bengals' Joe Burrow leading the NFL with 2.4 per game and Baltimore's Lamar Jackson 2.1. The Bengals defense has eyes on extending Jackson's career-long streak of five straight games without multiple touchdown passes.
It's been quite a quarterback rivalry. The teams have combined for 52.9 points per game for the second most points among active quarterback matchups with more than five starts against each other. Jackson against the Chiefs' Patrick Mahomes accounts for 56.8.
The 4-9 Bengals, with a one percent chance of making the playoffs, according to Next Gen Stats, are looking to cripple the 6-7 Ravens' own hopes 17 days after they won in Baltimore on Thanksgiving Night. Baltimore lost to Pittsburgh last week, so Jackson is trying to avoid losing three straight division games for the first time in his career.
Although Jackson is 6-2 against Burrow (three of the wins have come on what amounts to the last play of the game), he's never played him in December, when Burrow is 10-4, and been a beast at Paycor. Burrow has won five of his last six at home during a career he has racked up a December Paycor passer rating of 116.3 on 20 touchdowns against four interceptions.
That includes three 300-yard passing games, one 400-yarder, and that Bengals-best 525 he posted against the Ravens on the day after Christmas in 2021.
Another reason for more points than fewer is the wind because there won't be much, according to forecasts that have it at about eight miles per hour.
Slants and Screens
The Bengals' pressure last month harassed Jackson into three turnovers and his lowest passer rating ever in 12 starts against the Bengals (65.4).
Their top four defenders, as rated by Pro Football Focus, included cornerbacks DJ Turner II, Dax Hill and nickel Jalen Davis. They're all healthy for this one …
Edge Joseph Ossai, PFF's top Bengals defender from that night, had eight pressures and the first two-sack game of his career. He went full all week at practice this week despite requiring stitches for a gash in his shin before they left Buffalo last week …
With edges Trey Hendrickson (core surgery) sent to injured reserve and Shemar Stewart (knee) still on injured reserve, Bengals head coach Zac Taylor's inactive list for the Ravens was brief and unsurprising:
Wide receiver Tee Higgins was out for the second time in three games with a concussion, both against Baltimore …
Backup safety and special-teamer P.J. Jules (ankle) missed his first game of the season …
Defensive tackle Jordan Jefferson was inactive for the second straight week …
Jake Browning was again the No. 3 quarterback …
