For the first time this season, the Baltimore Ravens will find themselves standing opposite a fellow AFC North team.
The Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals clash in a pivotal divisional contest between bitter rivals. The Ravens swept the matchup last season with 27-24 and 34-20 wins over Cincinnati.
Both teams enter Sunday’s matchup with some momentum. The Bengals (1-3) earned their first win of the season in Week 4 with a 34-24 victory over the Carolina Panthers, while Baltimore (2-2) has won two in a row, including a dominant 35-10 win over the previously undefeated Buffalo Bills.
Here are three things to watch when the AFC North rivals clash in their Week 5 matchup on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET at Paycor Stadium.
Can Nate Wiggins hold his own?
Nate Wiggins has rapidly ascended to a starter on defense and has seen a huge uptick in his playing time since missing Week 2 due to a neck injury. Wiggins saw the most playing time of his career against the Bills, only allowing one catch for five yards and nearly had the first interception of his career on a couple of occasions.
The Bengals are a different beast, though, compared to the receivers Wiggins was lining across from against Buffalo. Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins are one of the best receiver tandems in the NFL and can wreck a game if they’re consistently getting open. Joe Burrow is also one of the league’s most accurate passers and won’t hesitate to repeatedly go after Wiggins if the Bengals receivers are consistently winning the matchup.
Wiggins will likely be put to the test on numerous occasions and if he holds his own, not only would it go a long way toward slowing down the potent Bengals’ passing attack, but it can cement the Ravens rookie as a budding No. 1 cornerback.
Will Baltimore keep the same offensive line?
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
The Ravens reshuffled their offensive line after Andrew Vorhees couldn’t play, sliding Patrick Mekari to left guard and inserting Roger Rosengarten into the starting lineup at right tackle. The results? Baltimore rushing for 271 yards and two touchdowns.
The Ravens offensive line also didn’t allow a single pressure on Lamar Jackson in the lopsided victory.
Vorhees was listed as questionable, though, it’s fair to wonder if the team should even bother pushing him if there’s any doubt that he can go. Given the offensive line’s success last week, running it back with the same group may be the wisest move for the Ravens.
Will Derrick Henry make more history?
In the last two weeks, Derrick Henry has been exactly what the Ravens hoped he would be and then some.
The former All-Pro has run for 350 yards and three touchdowns in Baltimore’s last two games. He also set the franchise record for longest touchdown run with his 87-yard score on the team’s first play on offense against the Bills.
Now, he’ll be facing a shoddy Bengals rush defense.
Cincinnati has allowed the fifth-most rushing touchdowns this season and the eighth-most rushing yards per game. Panthers running back Chuba Hubbard had 18 carries for 104 yards and a touchdown in Week 4 against the Bengals and the Washington Commanders had three rushing touchdowns in their 38-33 win over Cincinnati.
With Henry’s hot streak and the Bengals struggling to stop the run thus far this season, the recipe could be there for another historic performance from the former Offensive Player of the Year in the first AFC North divisional game of his Ravens tenure.
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