Ravens News 1/5: Matching Firepower and more

Ravens Eye View: Mark Andrews Did It All vs. Steelers – Ryan Mink

A major bright spot for the Ravens was the play of tight end Mark Andrews, who caught all nine passes that came his way for 100 yards. He did it against a variety of different coverages as opponents keep trying to mix it up to limit Baltimore’s top pass catcher.

“The routes we’ve been running, there’s a lot of scheme things in there, but they were playing a lot of man coverage. Mark got them in man on some crossing routes, and some sail routes and things like that, and just ran some outstanding routes,” Harbaugh said. “I thought Tyler [Huntley] made a couple really great throws, some under pressure, right on the money, which you have to do against man coverage. [He] hit Mark on the run a few times. To see that happen was big for us; it’s very important to get Mark going. We’ve been talking about that for a number of weeks, that we needed to do that.”

NFL offensive line rankings ahead of Week 18 – Sam Monson

4. BALTIMORE RAVENS (DOWN 2)

Projected Week 18 Starters:

LT Ronnie Stanley

LG Ben Powers

C Tyler Linderbaum

RG Kevin Zeitler

RT Morgan Moses

Baltimore’s line struggled to deal with Pittsburgh’s unusual six-man defensive front in the run game on Sunday night. None of the starters earned even an average run-blocking grade.

The Ravens have the least-penalized line in the league this season, garnering just 22 calls as a group.

Upcoming Opponent: Cincinnati Bengals

D.J. Reader and Trey Hendrickson give Cincinnati one elite threat on the edge and one on the interior. Reader has the power to overwhelm rookie center Tyler Linderbaum.

Month after injury, Ravens QB Lamar Jackson misses 13th straight practice; CB Marcus Peters returns – Ryan McFadden

Veteran cornerback Marcus Peters returned to practice after missing the last two games with a calf injury. Right tackle Morgan Moses also practiced after exiting Sunday’s loss with a biceps injury, and reserve cornerback Daryl Worley (hamstring) participated after being placed on injured reserve last month.

Peters was a limited participant while Moses did not appear on the team’s injury report.

In addition to Jackson, outside linebacker Justin Houston (rest), defensive tackle Calais Campbell (rest/knee) wide receiver DeSean Jackson (illness), running back J.K. Dobbins (rest), right guard Kevin Zeitler (rest) and left tackle Ronnie Stanley (rest) also missed practice.

Week 18: Ravens Vs. Bengals Preview, Where to Watch, Prediction – Todd Karpovich

Running back J.K. Dobbins has been dominant since his return and had a career-high 17 carries with 93 yards in last week’s 16-13 loss to the Steelers. Fellow running back Gus Edwards had just two yards on three carries against Pittsburgh. The Ravens need to get Edwards revved up and more involved. The Bengals, however, are ranked fifth against the run, allowing 106.4 yards per game. Baltimore had 155 yards on 28 carries in the first meeting against Cincinnati and that helped pave the way for the 19-17 victory.

The Bengals have one of the NFL’s most explosive attacks. Burrow is a legitimate MVP candidate, throwing for 4,260 yards with 34 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He has two, playmaking wide receivers at his disposal with Chase and Higgins. Both of those players had big games against the Ravens in the past. In the first game. the Ravens contained Burrow, who went 24 of 35 for 217 with a touchdown and interception. Chase had seven catches for 50 yards. Former Raven and tight end Hayden Hurst has played a bigger role in the offense and he can also create matchup problems. The Ravens are ranked 24th against the pass, allowing 234.1 yards per game. They have to hope cornerback Marcus Peters can return from his calf injury and support the secondary.

Prediction

The Ravens are going to struggle to match the firepower of the Bengals, who are seeking their second straight AFC North title and perhaps the top seed in the playoffs depending on what the NFL decides with the postponed game against the Bills. The Bengals will look to jump out to an early lead and then they will keep their foot on the gas. They know if the Ravens fall behind, they will struggle to keep up.

Bengals 27, Ravens 13

NFL Week 18 picks – Pete Prisco

Baltimore Ravens at Cincinnati Bengals (-7.5)

The winner of this one wins the AFC North. The Bengals had their game suspended Monday night against the Bills, which could impact their preparation here. The Ravens could have Lamar Jackson back, which would help an ailing offense in a big way. Even so, I think the Bengals will come out and light up the Ravens defense. Bengals win it.

Pick: Bengals 29, Ravens 21