Bengals From 10A What’s Working

Cincinnati’s offense put up a season-high 520 total yards, with an average gain of 8.3. Burrow and Chase keep building on a chemistry that started when the two were teammates

on LSU’S 2019 national championship squad. Chase is the

second player in NFL history with at least 50 yards receiving

in his first seven career games. Running back Joe Mixon broke

away for a 21-yard touchdown run, and Samaje Perine had a 46-yard rush for a score. The

Bengals had just one turnover, a Burrow interception.

What Needs Help

Cincinnati continues to start slowly and not get the offense clicking until the second half. A pair of field goals and a

touchdown put the Bengals up 13-10 at halftime as they converted on just 1 of 7 third

downs before the break. The Ravens took a 17-13 lead early

in the third quarter before the Bengals exploded. In the previous week’s 34-11 rout of Detroit, Cincinnati’s halftime lead was 10-0. The Bengals trailed Jacksonville 14-0 at the

half before winning 24-21 in overtime in Week 4.

Stock Up

The defense, which got a major makeover in the offseason, has been a force, particularly the line. D-linemen were in Jackson’s face all day, sacking him five times and logging

seven hits. The pass rush was a glaring weakness last season.

“Like I have said for weeks now, this is special,” said defensive end Trey Hendrickson, who had a sack that pushed

Baltimore out of field-goal range in the third quarter. He’s got 6 1/2 so far in his first season

in Cincinnati after signing as a free agent.

“This is a stepping stone to take us where we want to go,”

he added.

Stock Down

Veteran WR Tyler Boyd has taken a back seat since Tee Higgins and then Chase came to town. On Sunday he was targeted seven times and had

just four catches for 39 yards.

Key Number

114-19 — combined score of the three previous Ravens wins over the Bengals, before

last Sunday.

Next Steps

Cincinnati has a good chance to win its third straight, facing the struggling New York Jets (1-6) next Sunday. After that, the Bengals come

home for a key divisional matchup with the Browns (4-3) ahead of an off week.