Analysis
10/6/22
6 min read
Ravens-Bengals Week 5 Scouting Report: Grades and Key Matchups
The Scouting Report for Sunday night’s Ravens-Bengals game is produced by The 33rd Team’s Scouting Department, which is led by former Eagles, Cardinals and Ravens personnel executive T.J. McCreight and assisted by scouts Justin Casey, Kevin Cohn and Evan Pritt.
Joe Burrow vs. Lamar Jackson
- The Ravens' offense is built around Lamar Jackson. It puts a lot of stress on the defense with motions and misdirections. They use more multiple back and/or TE formations than any other team in the league. It's hard to prepare for a style of offense you don’t see on a weekly basis, not to mention a one-of-a-kind talent in Jackson.
- Jackson is tied for first in touchdown passes with 11. He is also fourth in QB rating at 105.1 and ninth in yards rushing.
- Jackson's 139.5 QB rating against pressure is first, and he has seven touchdowns to just one interception. He has a 77.5 QB rating (22nd) vs. 3-4 rushers with four touchdowns and three interceptions. The Bengals don't blitz at a high rate, since they rank 25th in the league.
- You can see how Jackson’s presence slows down the pass rush, especially the edge rushers, who can't get too far upfield and give Jackson an easy running lane.
- Much is made about how Jackson's running ability and small frame could lead to injuries. However, he has such great vision and feel when running. He is smart about his angles and rarely takes a direct shot. He also has excellent pocket awareness and ball security.
- Tight end Mark Andrews is Jackson’s favorite receiver, accounting for 31.9% of the team’s targets. He is Jackson’s security blanket, but second-year receiver Rashod Bateman has emerged as a big play threat. He is averaging more than 22 yards per catch. The Ravens missed his playmaking ability when he injured his foot against Buffalo and did not play in the fourth quarter.
- Joe Burrow has not turned the ball over after throwing four interceptions and losing a fumble in Week 1.
- The Bengals are eighth in the NFL with 257.3 yards passing per game and 13th with 22.8 points per game.
- The Bengals must pass protect! Burrow has been sacked 16 times this season, which is 31st in the league and is a continuation of the offensive line's poor performance from last year.
- In 2021, the OL was 30th in the league with 55 sacks allowed. Of the 16 sacks allowed this season, 13 were in the first two games.
- With the Bengals running the ball so poorly (26th with 89.5 yards rushing per game), there is extreme pressure on Burrow to create first downs with his arm.
Ravens Secondary vs. Bengals Wide Receivers
- The Ravens' pass defense has been inconsistent this season. They are last with 315.2 yards passing allowed per game. They are also 23rd with 7.12 yards passing allowed per play.
- Baltimore has played better press-man coverage than soft zone coverage, however, they use zone more often. They run zone 56% compared to using man coverage 24%.
- Baltimore's defense is allowing teams back into games by going into their soft zone-coverage shell and allowing QBs to get easy yards.
- Ravens' cornerbacks Marcus Peters and Marlon Humphrey have been okay this season. However, the Ravens have shuffled their third corner position while lacking production from their safeties.
- Marcus Williams has three interceptions, but he's benefited from inaccurate passes more than his ability to be a game-changing factor.
- The Ravens' inability to rush the passer has put extra stress on the secondary. They are only getting home at a 4.52% sack per pass rate, which ranks 28th.
- Bengals WR Ja’Marr Chase has not taken over games as he did in 2021. At times, it seems the Bengals are out of sync offensively.
- With so much attention on Chase and Tyler Boyd, Burrow has looked toward Tee Higgins, and Higgins has taken advantage of those opportunities. Against the Dolphins, Higgins had seven catches for 124 yards and a touchdown.
Bengals' Hendrickson & Hubbard vs. Ravens Tackles
- Bengals' pass rusher Sam Hubbard is stout when it comes to defending the run. His 34 run stops last season were the second-most among edge rushers, and his 9.4% run stop percentage was fifth-best among edge rushers.
- Hubbard racked up nine pressures vs. Miami last week, the second-most by any player in a game this season.
- Trey Hendrickson registered the third-quickest get-off this season (0.77 seconds). Myles Garrett (0.63) and Joey Bosa (0.75) were the only two faster.
- Hendrickson ranks seventh in pressures with 18.
- While the Ravens rank third in yards rushing, a lot of the credit goes to their scheme and Jackson’s ability. Baltimore doesn't generate a lot of movement up front, but with the help of fullback Patrick Ricard, they can create angles to provide creases for Jackson.
- Their protection works well as a unit, and they don’t have busts leading to free rushers. However, they are down to their third left tackle in rookie Daniel Faalele, who is a limited athlete.
- RT Morgan Moses is not a quick-footed athlete, but he is strong and has a good anchor.
- The return of LT Ronnie Stanley would be a massive boost to this group, especially going against Hubbard and Hendrickson's motors and strength.
Extra Points
- The Bengals scored 41 points in each of their two victories against the Ravens last season. Jackson did not play in the second game. Burrow threw for 941 yards and seven touchdowns in the two games.
- While the Ravens' defense is to blame for some second-half losses, the offense has only scored nine fourth-quarter points this season.
Bengals' Keys to Victory
- Burrow must continue to protect the ball, and Chase needs to return to the dominant play he showed in 2021.
- Tight end Hayden Hurst needs to be a significant part of the offense to take some of the pressure off of the quarterback with some simple throws.
- Running back Joe Mixon must be more involved in the offense and given a chance to churn out yards.
Ravens' Keys to Victory
- Generate a pass rush. The Bengals struggled to protect Burrow in the first two games. The Ravens must pressure Burrow and force him to hurry his throws and get him off his platform.
- Don’t take their foot off the gas if they get out in front. Both of the Ravens' losses this season have come after blowing three-possession leads.
WATCH MORE: Ed Reed Discusses the Ravens' Recent Loss to Buffalo
