Raven Country

Ravens Will Be Challenged to Hold Off Bengals in AFC North

Baltimore and Cincinnati tied in the division.

Todd Karpovich

In this story:

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals sit atop the AFC North at 8-4.

However, the Ravens own the tiebreaker after beating Cincinnati 19-17 in Week 5. 

The teams have a showdown in the regular-season finale that could decide the division. 

In Week 13, Lamar Jackson suffered a knee injury in the Ravens 10-9 win over the Denver Broncos (3-9). Jackson's status moving forward will be much clearer in the coming days but the injury will not end his season. 

Meanwhile, the Bengals picked up a signature 27-24 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs (9-3).

Cincinnati might be playing its best football of the season and the Bengals have a formidable offense and getting key stops on the defensive end. 

Baltimore is struggling to score points, especially inside the red zone over recent weeks. The defense had a bounce-back game against Denver after giving up a late, game-winning touchdown to the Jaguars the previous week. 

"It’s game to game," Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. "There are no big narratives; the big narrative questions, they’re irrelevant. What matters is the next game and trying to find a way to win it.”

The Ravens have an easier remaining schedule. But they cannot slip as they did against Jacksonville in Week 12.

Baltimore plays just one team with a winning record the rest of the way. 

Here is Baltimore's remaining schedule:

WEEK 14 at Pittsburgh Steelers (5-7)

WEEK 15 at Cleveland Browns (5-7)

WEEK 16 vs. Atlanta Falcons (5-8)

WEEK 17 vs. Pittsburgh Steelers (5-7)

WEEK 18 at Cincinnati Bengals (8-4)

The Bengals play two teams with winning records. The matchup against the Bills in Week 17 could decide home-field advantage for the playoffs. 

Here is the Bengals remaining schedule:

WEEK 14 vs. Cleveland Browns (5-7)

WEEK 15 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-6) 

WEEK 16 at New England Patriots (6-6)

WEEK 17 vs. Buffalo Bills (9-3)

WEEK 18 vs. Baltimore Ravens (8-4)

Published
Todd Karpovich
TODD KARPOVICH

Twitter: @toddkarpovich Email: todd.karpovich@gmail.com Skype: todd.karpovich Todd Karpovich has been a contributor for ESPN, Forbes, the Associated Press, Lindy's, and The Baltimore Sun, among other media outlets nationwide. He is the co-author of “If These Walls Could Talk: Stories from the Baltimore Ravens Sideline, Locker Room, and Press Box,” “Skipper Supreme: Buck Showalter and the Baltimore Orioles,” and the author of “Manchester United (Europe's Best Soccer Clubs).” Karpovich, a Baltimore native, is a graduate of Calvert Hall College high school, Randolph-Macon College in Virginia, and has a Masters of Science from Towson University. 

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