Ravens – Bengals: Stopping Ja’Marr Chase from going off among 5 keys to victory

Mapping a out a blueprint to success in this AFC North showdown.

The Baltimore Ravens will stay at home off a quick turnaround in Week 10 to complete a two-game homestand, where they will take on the Cincinnati Bengals in primetime on Thursday Night Football. Both teams are coming off double-digit point differential victories in Week 9 and the last time they faced off in Week 5, it resulted in a 41-38 shootout victory for the Ravens on the road. A win will bring them to 7-3 and keep them just half a game back from or potentially overtake the Pittsburgh Steelers for first place in the division standings depending on what happens on Sunday when they face the Washington Commanders on the road.

Here are five keys integral to the Ravens’ coming out on top in Week 10.

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Double Ja’Marr Chase as often as possible

With Tee Higgins doubtful to play or at least be at full strength after missing practice all week with a hamstring injury, all attention turns to limiting the impact of the Bengals three-time Pro Bowl star wideout. While Chase has struggled to have monster games without him in the lineup, the Ravens have struggled to stop elite No. 1 receivers from going off and making big plays all season.

If they want to avoid getting into another shootout with their fierce rivals, they can’t allow Chase and Joe Burrow’s connection to get going. Back in Week 5, the two connected on 11 of 12 targets for a season-high 192 yards and two touchdowns with both scoring plays coming on plays of over 40 yards where he had unimpeded paths to the end zone.

While the Bengals still have some talented young receivers in second-year pro Andrei Iosivas and rookie Jermaine Burton, neither of them present the same threat level as Higgins so the Ravens should double or at least bracket Chase as often as they can because Burrow won’t hesitate to target him when he is in single coverage no matter who is on him because covered or not, he is still capable of coming down with the ball and making big plays.

One matchup that Burrow might find especially tantalizing if and when it happens is Chase lined up against Ravens cornerback Brandon Stephens who covers very tightly but has given up a lot of big plays because of his struggles to consistently find or make plays on the ball in the air to force incompletion or come down with interceptions.

Don’t give up anything easy or deep through the air

Even though the Ravens defense tied its fewest points given up of the season this past Sunday by clamping down when it mattered the most in the red zone and on fourth down, they still have up way too many easy conversions at the intermediate level and downfield. Denver Broncos rookie quarterback Bo Nix took advantage of some of the miscommunications by the Ravens’ defense in zone coverage when it came to passing off coverage responsibilities. It led to some of his targets being left wide open and he missed others that could’ve kept the game closer in the first half including a pair of would-be touchdowns on overthrows.

Burrow is much less likely to make those same mistakes and more likely to find them quicker and deliver accurate passes for big plays and key conversions if those struggles persist. While he has been highly proficient at dicing up zone coverages, Cincinnati’s star signal-caller hasn’t been nearly as lethal against man coverage, which the Ravens should deploy a lot of in this matchup, especially with Higgins likely out of the lineup.

Force Joe Burrow to hold onto or throw the ball away

The relationship between the Ravens pass rush and coverage will need to be more harmonious and in sync than it has been for the vast majority of this season. Even though their defense ranks fourth in sacks with 28 and sixth in pressures (82), they’re middle of the pack in terms of pressure percentage (21.2%) and have the seventh-best opposing passer rating (100.7). The Ravens’ inability to generate a consistent pass rush at times and for stretches has allowed inferior teams to hang around longer than they should and even pull off shocking upsets as was the case two weeks ago in Cleveland.

If the Ravens can cover better in the backend and over the middle of the field and not get beat quickly or vacate zones due to miscommunication, it would buy their pass rush more time to get home. At the same time, if their front seven could turn up the heat faster and more consistently, their struggling secondary wouldn’t get exposed or carved up as often or easily. Burrow can be surgically precise and accurate with his decision-making and throws so making him hold the ball by covering better or forcing him to throw it away with pressure from up the middle as well as off the edge will lead to more sacks, incompletions, punts and potentially even turnovers.

Limit Bengals possessions with a heavy dose of the King

One of the best ways to prevent a potential shootout is taking the ball out of the air and keeping it on the ground. The more the Ravens dominate time of possession while still putting up points in the process, the fewer chances the Bengals will have to try to respond and go blow for blow like they did last time. Thankfully, Baltimore is well-equipped to do just that with the league’s top rushing attack and leading rusher in four-time Pro Bowl running back Derrick Henry.

While the Bengals did a decent job defending him last time around, he only touched the ball a combined 16 times with his 15 carries tying for his third-lowest total of the season and still managed to average 6.1 yards per carry. In every other instance but that Week 5 overtime thriller, the Ravens have lost when Henry touches or carries the ball fewer than 20 times a game. Offensive coordinator Todd Monken shouldn’t try to tempt fate this time around and just call Henry’s number early and often so he can get rolling, stop the Bengals and Burrow from doing the same and hopefully head into their mini-bye with a statement victory over a division rival.

Don’t let Trey Hendrickson be a game-wrecker

The three-time Pro Bowler is the only viable and effective pass rusher on Cincinnati’s entire defense. Since being blanked in the first meeting against the Ravens, Hendrickson has been on a tear with eight sacks in the last four games including a season-high four this past Sunday in the team’s win over the Raiders. His 11 sacks not only lead the league but more than the rest of his teammates combined by nearly double as they only have six outside of him with no player having more than one except defensive end Sam Hubbard who has just two.

Since Hendrickson primarily lines up on the left side of the offensive line, he’ll likely be locking horns with Ravens’ star blindside protector Ronnie Stanley who has still yet to yield a sack in 272 pass-blocking snaps according to Pro Football Focus and whose pass-blocking grade of 84.8 ranks seventh among all offensive tackles in the league. A repeat performance of their last battle would be ideal but is easier said than done as Hendrickson is likely more confident given his recent success and his team is desperate for a win to keep their dwindling playoff hopes alive.