With the Ravens in search of a sixth consecutive win in hosting AFC North foe Cincinnati on Thanksgiving night, I’ve offered a dozen thoughts, each in 50 words or less:
1. Joe Burrow’s return certainly adds buzz to this prime-time matchup despite the Bengals’ playoff hopes being all but shot at 3-8. Whatever fight Cincinnati has left figures to show up over its next three games trying to play spoiler against the Ravens and Buffalo.
2. That said, the Bengals sport the NFL’s worst defense, which is tracking to be one of the worst of the last 50 years when measuring in terms of DVOA. The Cincinnati linebackers have been particularly poor, which usually doesn’t bode well for slowing down a Lamar Jackson-led offense.
3. In other words, all bets are off if Jackson and the Baltimore offense can’t find better footing on the heels of the lackluster showing against a below-average Jets defense. Jackson said his toe was “good” after practicing fully Tuesday, but these lower-body injuries are clearly taking a toll.
4. Kyle Hamilton hurting his ankle in the fourth quarter last Sunday seemingly put his status in jeopardy, but it takes a lot to keep him off the field. With Jackson less than 100% and the defense leading the way, one could easily argue Hamilton is the Ravens’ MVP right now.
5. Returning from suspension, Ja’Marr Chase collected an absurd 21 catches for 457 yards and five touchdowns in two games against Baltimore last year. This defense is in a much better place, but this will easily be the biggest test since the bye — even with the Bengals not having Tee Higgins.
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6. Considering Breece Hall’s success as a receiver out of the backfield last week, Burrow will presumably try to get the ball to Chase Brown as much as he can when not targeting his star wide receiver. Brown has topped 100 yards of offense in each of the last five contests.
7. Burrow typically has one of the NFL’s quicker times to throw, so we’ll see how uncomfortable the pass rush can make him and his surgically-repaired toe. The arrival of Dre’Mont Jones and the improvement of Mike Green are making a difference for an improving pass rush.
8. The post-Thursday mini bye will provide Jackson and the Ravens what will likely be their final extended break of the season to get as healthy as possible. If nothing else, you’d like to get Jackson through a game without a new ailment showing up on next week’s injury report.
9. Say what you want about the strength of schedule over the five-game winning streak, but Baltimore owns a plus-seven turnover margin and an NFL-leading plus-64 point differential over that stretch. A sixth straight victory would match the Ravens’ longest winning streak since 2023.
10. Some career milestones are within reach with DeAndre Hopkins one catch from 1,000, Mark Andrews needing three receptions to break Derrick Mason’s franchise mark, and Derrick Henry 19 yards from passing Jim Brown for 11th on the NFL’s all-time rushing list. That one is very special for a running back.
11. This marks the third time the Ravens have played on Thanksgiving with most remembering the Jacoby Jones-Mike Tomlin sideline controversy in 2013, but John Harbaugh likely prefers the nine-sack effort that took down his brother’s San Francisco 49ers in 2011. Terrell Suggs and Haloti Ngata combined for five that night.
812. I’m not a big fan of the alternate purple helmets, but I’m all for a John Madden jersey patch to remember one of football’s greatest ambassadors. Madden and Pat Summerall were the holiday’s soundtrack, and the mere mention of “turducken” still makes me laugh. Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.
Prediction: While old friend Joe Flacco had been playing good football until feeling the effects of a shoulder injury the last couple weeks, Burrow’s return changes the complexion of this matchup and figures to give the Bengals an emotional lift in trying to pull off an upset and halt their four-game losing streak. That said, Burrow hasn’t played in 2 1/2 months and is returning on a quicker timeline that expected, leaving much room for doubts about how sharp and healthy he’ll look against a Baltimore defense gaining more confidence by the week. If Jackson and the Ravens offense can’t have a strong showing against this brutal Cincinnati defense, you really wonder when — or if — the improvement is going to come with more formidable opponents looming in December. I’ll say the offense takes a step or two in the right direction while the defense surrenders 20 points in a game for the first time since Week 6. Baltimore will earn its sixth straight win in a 30-23 final.
