Bengals may leave camp with the answer Ravens hoped they would not find

The Cincinnati Bengals have long had a glaring disadvantage against the AFC North rival Baltimore Ravens. They could simply be bullied on either side of the line of scrimmage.

Whether it was Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry running downhill on the Bengals at will, or Baltimore's exotic front seven putting constant heat on Joe Burrow, it's no wonder Cincinnati's superstar quarterback is 4-5 against the Ravens in the regular season since 2021.

Mind you, that losing record comes as Burrow has averaged 30.4 points per game in those nine AFC North matchups.

Disappointing as those facts are, the tide can turn in 2026 thanks to the Bengals' recent exemplary team building and some of Baltimore's personnel losses.

Bengals being locked in on both sides of the trenches would be bad news for Ravens in AFC North race

Why Baltimore's Super Bowl odds (+1000) are half those of Cincinnati's (+2000) on DraftKings is beyond me.

The Ravens lost historically-paid center Tyler Linderbaum in free agency. He has the fairly important job of getting Jackson's whole offensive line on the same page and in sync. Isaiah Likely and Charlie Kolar are no longer on the roster, and Lamar is notorious for leaning on his tight ends in the passing game. That position went from a strength to a major weakness for Baltimore.

If you just look at the Bengals' completely intact starting five on the offensive line, which produced these results in the last 11 games of the 2025 campaign...

...And you take a peek at what Jackson is working with, while adjusting to a new offensive system and coaching staff, it's clear Cincinnati should have major leverage here.

Then you take into account how markedly better the Bengals got in the defensive trenches. Dexter Lawrence is an All-Pro force of a nose tackle who commands double teams at a higher rate than any NFL defender.

Cincinnati had the worst run defense in football last year. Lawrence's presence will single-handedly transform that, and in a reasonable scenario, elevate the play of those around him. I'm thinking of second-year linebackers Barrett Carter and Demetrius Knight Jr. in particular, who can't play much worse than they did as rookies.

Those above stats about the Bengals' improved rushing attack should also allow them to be more balanced, keep the Ravens offense off the field more, and keep their own defense fresher.

It often takes defenses less time to jell in training camp than it does for offenses. The Bengals have unique continuity on offense and elite weapons like Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. They also boast three exceptional, experienced defensive tackles in Lawrence, fellow newcomer Jonathan Allen, and incumbent vet B.J. Hill.

While defected Bengals legend Trey Hendrickson should give Baltimore a boost in terms of pass rush, Cincinnati left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. has gone against him all the time in practice for years. And as for Mike Green's potential Year 2 breakout opposite Hendrickson, well, he has one of the league's premier, ascending tackles in Amarius Mims to deal with.

I have a feeling Cincinnati's new-look d-line will have little issue finding its stride before Week 1. Baltimore's tackle group might be improved by Nnamdi Madubuike's return, yet he is coming off an entire missed season due to a career-threatening neck injury.

Any way you slice it, the Bengals should sport a decisive edge in key areas over the Ravens where they just simply haven't had that type of advantage in the past.

And some of y'all are still sleeping on these Bengals. SMH.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow