Joe Burrow has been nightmare gas for Ravens’ protection

Final yr, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow torched the Baltimore Ravens. On Sunday, he’ll strive to take action as soon as extra.

In a single recreation, the Cincinnati Bengals went from cuddly creature to ferocious feline.

It was in Week 7, on the highway at M&T Financial institution Stadium, dealing with the Baltimore Ravens.

Cincinnati entered 4-2. Baltimore was 5-1, threatening to run away with the AFC North.

Sixty minutes later, all the things modified. The Bengals gained 41-17 and in the end captured their first division title of the Zac Taylor period. Baltimore regained its footing to win two straight earlier than accidents capsized them, ending 8-9.

Now, Cincinnati and Baltimore meet on Sunday Evening Soccer, the winner assured not less than a share of first place within the division.

For the Ravens to win and get revenge, they’ll have to do one thing they couldn’t do in both matchup final season: cease Joe Burrow.

Throughout the 2 Bengals’ wins over Baltimore in 2021, Burrow mixed for 941 passing yards and eight touchdowns. The yardage determine represents 20.4 % of his complete output final yr, in solely two video games.

Whereas the Ravens’ Week 16 defeat to Cincinnati is comprehensible contemplating the crush of accidents — corners Marlon Humphrey and Marcus Peters have been each out; Peters missed each clashes — permitting 525 passing yards in any circumstance is atrocious.

This yr, each Peters and Humphrey are wholesome, but it surely hasn’t mattered a lot to date.

Baltimore’s cross protection ranks twenty third in web yards gained per cross try (6.8), final in passing first downs allowed (66), T-Fifth worst in passing touchdowns in opposition to (8), final in air yards allowed (743), fifth-worst in yards after catch (569) and worst in whole passing yards in opposition to (1,261).

This isn’t solely a secondary situation. The Ravens have struggled to generate a cross rush, checking in twenty seventh in stress fee (19.3%) and T-18th in sacks (8). As a complete, the protection hasn’t tackled properly, with solely the Houston Texans racking up extra missed tackles than Baltimore’s 30.

What’s worse, these numbers are in opposition to the quartet of AFC East quarterbacks, who save for Josh Allen wouldn’t be thought-about prolific. But Tua Tagovailoa threw for six touchdowns in a wild 42-38 comeback win over Baltimore, whereas Mac Jones and Joe Flacco averaged 300 passing yards.

Enter the Bengals, who’ve arguably the league’s greatest trio of receivers in Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd, together with a quarterback who over his final three video games has six touchdowns and nil turnovers. The offensive line has quietly been significantly better when not dealing with T.J. Watt and Micah Parsons prefer it did the primary two weeks, permitting solely three sacks during the last two tilts, each wins.

In final yr’s Cincinnati coming-out celebration, Burrow threw for 416 yards and three touchdowns, with Chase accounting for 201 yards on eight receptions and a rating. Boyd and Higgins are comparatively stored in examine, totaling 101 yards and nil touchdowns, whereas Joe Mixon didn’t register a goal. It was now-New York Jets tight finish C.J. Uzomah who went off for 91 yards and two touchdowns.

Underneath former defensive coordinator Wink Martindale, the Ravens predictably and continuously blitzed Burrow. And Burrow, who was excellent against added pressure, destroyed them. It will likely be attention-grabbing to see if Baltimore holds again some underneath new coordinator Mike Macdonald, with the Ravens presently rating eleventh in blitz proportion at 27.6 %.

In a perfect Baltimore world, the entrance 4 can lastly create stress whereas the ultra-talented secondary of safeties Chuck Clark and Marcus Williams, together with Humphrey and Peters, can restrict downfield throws and nab a turnover or two. After all, whereas the Ravens’ protection have created a league-high 10 takeaways, they’ve completed little else proper with the ball within the air.

For Baltimore to beat Burrow, it’ll have to discover a new components.

With out one, the Bengals will take the Ravens down, with an aerial present main the way in which.