Late for Work 1/6: Ian Rapoport: Ravens Confident Lamar Jackson Will Return for Playoffs

The overwhelming consensus amongst pundits is that the Bengals needn’t fear about the opportunity of going to Baltimore within the playoffs.

All however one of many 31 pundits we sampled are predicting Cincinnati to beat the Ravens on Sunday. The lone Baltimore believer is CBS Sports activities’ Dave Richard.

The Ravens defeated the Bengals, 19-17, in Week 5, however that looks like a lifetime in the past. Cincinnati has gone 9-1 since. The Ravens have misplaced two of their previous three video games and averaged simply 11.8 factors over their previous 5 video games.

With Tyler Huntley (proper throwing shoulder/wrist) restricted in observe the previous two days, rookie quarterback Anthony Brown may make his first begin.

Here is what the pundits are saying concerning the recreation:

The Bengals’ superior offense would be the distinction.

NFL.com’s Gregg Rosenthal: “Lamar Jackson continues to be not again at observe, and these groups should not equally matched even when he have been to play. Whereas the Ravens’ protection will be the higher facet, the Bengals’ offense is extra full and explosive. In massive video games, lean offense.”

Daring prediction: The Ravens will surrender greater than 30 factors.

ESPN’s Jamison Hensley: “Since Week 3, Baltimore is one among two defenses to carry each opponent underneath 30 factors (Jets). However because the Ravens held the Bengals to 17 factors in Week 5, Joe Burrow and Cincinnati have averaged the third-most factors within the league (28.3 per recreation).

The Ravens offense is not going to have success operating or passing towards the Bengals.

NBC Sports activities’ Chris Simms: “When D.J. Reader’s on the sphere no person runs the ball on the Bengals. … I might have a tough time pondering that the Ravens are simply going to have the ability to depend on that. Not to mention we all know the Bengals are good within the secondary and that Ravens offense, even for those who do over-commit to cease the run, there’s no person to fret about at receiver, they usually can play them man to man and cease them that approach.”

With out Jackson, the Ravens is likely to be hard-pressed to even maintain the sport shut.

Bleacher Report’s Maurice Moton: “The Bengals might look sluggish on this matchup, having witnessed Buffalo Payments security Damar Hamlin collapse on their area on Monday. Nonetheless, if Cincinnati can draw any motivation from the playoff implications of this matchup — with not less than a shot on the No. 2 seed — it will probably handily beat a Ravens squad that can play with out quarterback Lamar Jackson.”

The Baltimore Solar’s Ryan McFadden: “The Ravens’ offense is a whole mess proper now, and the uncertainty at quarterback as Tyler Huntley offers with a shoulder and wrist damage would not assist. It is laborious to think about Baltimore placing sufficient factors on the board to maintain up with a Bengals offense led by quarterback Joe Burrow and proficient vast receivers.”

The Bengals will win, however the Ravens shall be aggressive.

The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec: “It is laborious to foretell how the Bengals will react to a tumultuous week. However even when they’re slightly flat to begin, they only have an excessive amount of firepower for a Ravens workforce anticipated to once more be with out Jackson. I believe the Ravens will maintain it shut for some time, however they’re going to simply not have sufficient solutions on both facet of the ball in a 27-17 kind of recreation.”