The Cincinnati Bengals visit the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, Oct. 25, in Week 7. Kickoff is noon Central (1 p.m. ET) at M&T Bank Stadium on CBS, with Jim Nantz, J.J. Watt and Tracy Wolfson on the call.
The biggest question may not be answered until Sunday morning: whether Lamar Jackson plays. Jackson is questionable with an ankle injury after missing the last two games. He practiced on a limited basis Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, his first practices since he was hurt on Oct. 4. On Friday he called it a high ankle sprain and said playing would come down to pain tolerance.
"If I can just go out there and feel the pain a little bit, I can play," Jackson said.
Saturday's reports did not settle it. ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported that a source called Jackson "50/50," and Tom Pelissero reported that he took most of the first-team snaps Friday and that a final decision may wait until Sunday morning. If Jackson sits, Tyler Huntley makes his third straight start.
Why it matters
The gap has been wide. The Ravens have scored 116 points and 14 offensive touchdowns in the 14 quarters Jackson has played this season, and 40 points and four touchdowns in the 10 quarters without him. Against this opponent it is even wider: since 2018 the Ravens are 11-2 against Cincinnati with Jackson and 0-3 without him, playoffs included.
Jackson has completed 68 of 96 passes for 967 yards, six touchdowns and one interception, and has run for 144 yards. Huntley has thrown for 429 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions and is 1-1 as a starter.
First-year coach Jesse Minter, hired in January from the Chargers to replace John Harbaugh, said Jackson "was able to get a pretty good amount of work in" Friday. "One thing I'll say about Lamar is that he's super competitive and he wants to play," Minter said.
How they got here
The AFC North is bunched up. Baltimore, Cleveland and Pittsburgh are all 4-2 and tied for first, and the Bengals are 3-2 coming off their bye.
The Ravens won 41-23 at Indianapolis to open the season and lost 24-17 to New Orleans. Then they beat Dallas 34-31 in Rio de Janeiro on Tyler Loop's 56-yard field goal at the gun, Tennessee 24-18, and Atlanta 30-23 in overtime in Huntley's first start. Last Sunday's 13-10 loss at Cleveland ended that three-game streak: Baltimore led 10-0, Derrick Henry lost a fumble in the fourth quarter, and Andre Szmyt won it with a 37-yard field goal as time expired. Since 2020 the Ravens have blown 16 double-digit leads, the most in the league.
The Bengals beat Tampa Bay 33-27 and won 20-6 at Houston, then lost 30-27 at Pittsburgh and 22-17 to Jacksonville. Their last game was a 31-24 win at Miami on Oct. 11, when Joe Burrow threw four touchdown passes. They come in rested, with no game designations on their final injury report.
Burrow and the Bengals
Burrow has completed 71.4 percent of his passes, the best rate in the league, for 1,361 yards, 11 touchdowns and three interceptions. He has 31 career games with three or more touchdown passes; according to the Associated Press, only Dan Marino, Patrick Mahomes and Peyton Manning had more in their first seven seasons.
Tee Higgins leads the Bengals with 423 receiving yards. Ja'Marr Chase has four touchdown catches and has been at his best against Baltimore, averaging 7.5 catches and 120.4 yards in 10 career meetings. On defense, Jonathan Allen, Dexter Lawrence II and Boye Mafe have three sacks each, and safety Jordan Battle has three interceptions.
Hendrickson's first game against Cincinnati
Trey Hendrickson faces the Bengals for the first time since leaving. He signed a four-year, $112 million deal with Baltimore after five seasons in Cincinnati, where his 61 sacks ranked fourth in the league over that stretch. He has two sacks this season after finger surgery following Week 1.
"It's not about me," Hendrickson said. Asked to sum up Hendrickson's career in Cincinnati, Burrow gave a one-word answer: "Productive."
The Ravens also get center Cam Jurgens, acquired in a trade with the Eagles, for his Baltimore debut. Henry has 534 rushing yards and seven touchdowns and is about 110 yards short of Jerome Bettis for eighth on the NFL's career list. Zay Flowers has 471 receiving yards. And the Ravens have scored in 393 straight games, one short of Denver's 394, the second-longest streak in league history.
Baltimore will be without safety Jaylinn Hawkins (knee) and outside linebacker Tavius Robinson (pectoral), who is out for the season. Cornerback T.J. Tampa Jr. is doubtful.
A rivalry built on shootouts
The Ravens lead the series 33-28, counting Cincinnati's win in the only playoff meeting. The first game, on Nov. 3, 1996, was a 24-21 Bengals win at Baltimore's Memorial Stadium after they trailed 21-3.
Jackson made his first NFL start against Cincinnati in 2018. Burrow threw for a franchise-record 525 yards against Baltimore in 2021. In the wild-card round after the 2022 season, Sam Hubbard's 98-yard fumble return, the Fumble in the Jungle, decided a 24-17 Bengals win. Burrow's 2023 season ended with a wrist injury in Baltimore.
The 2024 games were the wildest. The Ravens won 41-38 in overtime on a Justin Tucker field goal in October, then 35-34 in November after a failed Bengals two-point try. Burrow and Jackson combined for 17 touchdown passes in the two games. "I do not like getting in shootouts with these guys," Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey said this week.
Baltimore has won five of the last six. Last season the road team won both: the Bengals won 32-14 in Baltimore on Thanksgiving night, and the Ravens won 24-0 in Cincinnati on Dec. 14, the only time Burrow has been shut out. That loss eliminated the Bengals from playoff contention. The teams meet again Dec. 31 in Cincinnati.
The line
The line has moved with every Jackson update. Baltimore opened as a 3-point favorite; by Saturday Cincinnati was favored by 1.5 at DraftKings, with a total of 47.5.
Game day at M&T Bank Stadium
Stadium lots are permit-only, sold in advance, and open four and a half hours before kickoff, about 8:30 a.m. ET. Grills are allowed in the "hot" lots (A, B/C, G, H, N, NN and O); K, L and SWH are "cold" lots, and there is no tailgating in Lot F. Cooking must stay at least 2 feet from vehicles, charcoal must be self-starting, and used coals go in the red barrels. Tents are not allowed, and tailgating ends 30 minutes after kickoff.
RavensWalk, on the walkway from Camden Yards between Lots B and C, runs from about 9 a.m. to noon ET with bars, food trucks and a DJ. Gates open at 11 a.m. The stadium is cashless with no re-entry and follows the NFL clear-bag rule. For the purple side of the lots, see our Lot B tailgate page.