The Baltimore Ravens have to knock off the Cincinnati Bengals if they want to take the AFC North crown. The Bengals went to the Super Bowl last season and they look poised to be contenders for a while. With the disturbing drama emanating from the Cleveland Browns organization right now, and the underwhelming quarterback situation of the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Bengals remain the prominent team to beat in the AFC North.
The Bengals have to be careful of what the Ravens have brewing though, as the 2022 season could tell an entirely different story. The Bengals drafted their quarterback and the rebuild took and the team caught fire. Everything came together in 2021. Since they’ve been a contender so suddenly, they haven’t faced a full-strength Ravens team.
Joe Burrow torched the Ravens worse than anyone had since Peyton Manning scored seven touchdowns in the 2013 season opener. The October battle gave Burrow 416 yards and three touchdowns. The second battle added 525 yards and four touchdowns to Burrow’s stat line. The Bengals obviously have confidence in this divisional rivalry.
Marcus Peters missed the entire 2021 season due to injury. By the time the Ravens battled in Cincinnati in December, Marlon Humphrey was out for the year. Burrow was playing against starting cornerbacks Robert Jackson and Kayvon Seymour, which is a nice way of saying that he was essentially playing against air. Judging the Ravens for losing that fight is like judging a car without wheels for not moving.
The Ravens are quietly building a team designed to beat the Bengals. Kyle Hamilton and Marcus Williams being added at the safety spots surely look like a response to Ja’Marr Chase and company. Getting back Peters and Humphrey back is huge for the Baltimore defense. Adding two cornerbacks in the draft and signing Kyle Fuller certainly looks like a way to slow down Burrow.
Lost in a game where the Bengals clobbered a hopeless defense is a fact that Josh Johnson went for over 300 yards. The Ravens couldn’t keep up with Burrow, but the fact that Mark Andrews had over 100 receiving yards with a plan C quarterback shouldn’t be ignored. The Ravens’ offense could play against this Bengals’ defense with a ton of backups.
The Bengals didn’t play against J.K. Dobbins or Gus Edwards. They didn’t see Ronnie Stanley, and they only had to game plan against Lamar Jackson once last season. Overconfidence could be the Bengals’ downfall next season when they come to Baltimore in Week 5. The Ravens the Bengals beat down last season weren’t the Ravens they should see this season.
If the Ravens’ mindset is right, this has a chance to be a revenge tour of a season. The Pittsburgh Steelers will probably always be public enemy number one, but the Bengals are the team the Ravens can give the coldest dish of revenge to. The practice squad version of the Ravens contributed well to the legend of Burrow the national sports media ran with. If the Ravens’ mindset is right, on October 9, 2022, the Bengals will not enjoy their trip to M&T Bank Stadium.
Teams who lose in the Super Bowl often have a rough season. A lot of this is simply a regression to the mean. All the things that magically lined up for them a year ago may not come as easy. Every season is different. The good news for Cincinnati is that they have a very good roster and they should be a powerful team. The bad news for Cincinnati is that they may have thrown away their best shot to win it all and now they have a target on their back.
The Bengals can’t sneak up on anybody. Not anymore. Burrow has made the Bengals must-see TV. Expectations have never been heaped upon the Bengals like this. The last time the Bengals had this high of a reputation Ken Anderson was their quarterback and they just played Joe Montana’s San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XVI. There is a lot of pressure on the Bengals and it’s a relatively new feeling for them.
On the other hand, the Ravens can sneak up on teams. They were bad enough to get the 14th pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. They lost six straight games to close the season and it’s been a while since they were the flavor of the week. The Bengals beat the 2021 Ravens worse than any other opponent. They have the upper hand in the rivalry. Before last season though, the Bengals had no answer for Lamar Jackson. The Bengals could easily be reintroduced to that problem.
The Bengals need to be respected. They have a good shot to win the AFC North in 2022. There’s not one doubt that they are the team for the Ravens to beat. As much as you can’t ever count out Mike Tomlin’s Steelers, the Bengals are the most talented divisional foe. The Browns are a total question mark as long as the Deshaun Watson situation hangs over them. If the Ravens want to win the division they have to topple the current crown holder.
The Ravens are built to re-establish Lamar Jackson as a weapon. The Ravens are built to have the best secondary in the NFL. The Bengals fans may not be able to hear this over their excitement, but the Ravens might be built to knock the Bengals down. The Bengals better be careful. They’ve given a lot of motivation to the Ravens for revenge. If the Bengals don’t take the Ravens seriously they’ll pay for it.
