Ravens vs. Bengals: 3 Things To Watch

The Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals will square off again after their epic Week 5 clash.

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) escapes the tackle of Cincinnati Bengals safety Geno Stone (22) during the second half at Paycor Stadium. / Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images

Just over a month from their epic clash, the Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals are set to do battle again on Thursday Night Football.

The Ravens had to stage a late comeback to win 41-38 in overtime at Paycor Stadium on Oct 6. Lamar Jackson had another stellar outing, completing 26 of 42 passes for 338 yards and four touchdowns and he ran for 55 yards. Ultimately, a 51-yard run in overtime by Derrick Henry set the stage for a game-winning 24-yard field goal by Justin Tucker.

Since the previous matchup between the two teams, the Ravens and Bengals have each gone 3-1. Baltimore is coming off a dominant 41-10 win over the Denver Broncos on Sunday, while Cincinnati rolled past the Las Vegas Raiders 41-24.

Here are three things to watch when the Ravens and Bengals face off on Thursday at 8:15 p.m. ET at M&T Bank Stadium.

Can the Ravens' secondary hold up?

To say the Ravens' defense struggled against the Bengals in their first matchup would be an understatement.

Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow completed 30 of 39 passes for 392 yards and five touchdowns, though, his lone interception to Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey with 3:05 left in the fourth quarter allowed them to tie the game with a 56-yard field goal from Tucker to force overtime. Baltimore struggled to contain Cincinnati's top two receivers, as Ja'Marr Chase had 10 catches for 193 yards and two touchdowns, while Higgins caught nine passes for 83 yards and also caught two touchdowns.

Baltimore will get a little help with the potential absence of Higgins. He's listed as doubtful with a quadriceps injury that has forced him to miss the last two games.

The Ravens' secondary took a step in the right direction with their performance against the Broncos, but their offense pales in comparison to what Burrow and the Bengals are capable of doing. If Baltimore is going to sweep the season series against its division rival, it'll need the secondary to turn in a much better performance compared to their last outing against Cincinnati.

How do the Ravens make up for Isaiah Likely's absence?

Two of Jackson's four touchdown passes went to Isaiah Likely against Cincinnati.

Jackson won't have the luxury of being able to target Likely this time around, as he has already been ruled out due to a hamstring injury. Likely's absence does more than give opponents one less target to worry about, it impacts one of the Ravens' top formations they like to use.

Baltimore has run 12 personnel (two tight-end and one running back) just 10.2 percent of the time, per Sumersports, but has been one of the most effective teams out of it. The Ravens' expected points added (EPA) out of that formation is 0.16, the eighth-best in the NFL and 0.19 EPA when running the ball with two tight ends and one running back is tied for the second-best in the league.

Baltimore has used 22 personnel the most in the league, which is when it has two tight ends and two running backs on the field, though, it hasn't been as effective as using 12 personnel.

Tight end Charlie Kolar had the best game of his career with three catches for 64 yards and a touchdown, but expecting him to replicate that success is a little far-fetched. Even on games when Likely doesn't get many if any targets, the threat of him adds another dimension to the offense. Baltimore will have to find a way to compensate for him not playing on Thursday.

Can Tavius Robinson keep it going?

For all of the talk of Baltimore not adding a pass rusher at the trade deadline on Tuesday, it may have a budding option on its hands.

Outside linebacker Tavius Robinson had the best game of his career against Denver, tallying two sacks for the first multi-sack performance of his career. Robinson has been a consistent presence in the backfield of late, as he has at least two quarterback hits in three of the last four games.

The 6-foot-5 pass rusher got his first sack of the season in the Ravens' first meeting against Cincinnati. If Robinson can build on his play of late, he could be poised to have another big game and may be the answer the Ravens have been looking for to bolster their pass rush.

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