Here’s how The Baltimore Sun sports staff views the outcome of Sunday afternoon’s Week 16 game between the Ravens (8-6) and Cincinnati Bengals (8-6) at Paul Brown Stadium:
Jonas Shaffer, reporter
Bengals 28, Ravens 21: Almost every Ravens game this season has been unpredictable. The team’s coronavirus situation makes this matchup even more of a mystery. Will Lamar Jackson play? Probably not. Will the Ravens’ defense be even more depleted than it was against the Green Bay Packers? Almost certainly. If the Ravens win this one, it’ll be because Cincinnati’s depth at linebacker is even more compromised than the Ravens’ at cornerback. Mark Andrews could be just as big a headache as Ja’Marr Chase was in Week 7. That might not be enough, however.
Mike Preston, columnist
Ravens 28, Bengals 24: The Ravens play to the level of their competition. They’ll step up this week because they were embarrassed by the Bengals earlier this year. The Ravens have to control the pace of the game by running the ball, but their mental toughness will pay off in this game. I’m not sure the Bengals are ready for prime time yet.
Childs Walker, reporter
Bengals 24, Ravens 20: The Ravens are close to must-win territory, and they’ll go into this high-stakes matchup with major questions about which starters are even available. We have seen them compete with Tyler Huntley at quarterback, but he cannot help their tattered secondary defend against Joe Burrow and a deep wide receiver corps. Cincinnati’s defense, meanwhile, gave the Ravens fits in Baltimore. If the Ravens had anything close to a healthy roster, they would be the better team. But they don’t.
Ryan McFadden, reporter
Bengals 28, Ravens 24: With the division hanging in the balance, the Ravens won’t be embarrassed the way they were in their previous matchup against the Bengals. The Ravens will be highly motivated and can be expected to put up a fight. However, the Ravens’ secondary won’t be able to hold up against Ja’Marr Chase, Tyler Boyd and Tee Higgins.
C.J. Doon, editor
Bengals 31, Ravens 28: Picking the Bengals and coach Zac Taylor to beat the Ravens and John Harbaugh with the AFC North on the line feels like a bad idea, but this isn’t your typical late-season Cincinnati vs. Baltimore matchup. These Bengals haven’t been consistent, but they’re much healthier than the Ravens and have quarterback Joe Burrow playing at a high level. The Ravens struggled to stop rookie wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase even with a healthy Marlon Humphrey. What’s going to happen when Chase, Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd go up against the Ravens’ depleted secondary? The Ravens will keep it close just as they did last week, but in the end, the Bengals’ playmakers will be the difference.
Tim Schwartz, editor
Ravens 27, Bengals 24: Luck turned against the Ravens in the past few weeks as they lost three straight games by a total of four points. That’s due to turn back in their favor. The Bengals beat up the Ravens in their Week 7 meeting, but it’s hard to imagine that happening again to a team coached by John Harbaugh. Just watch the team-released video of Harbaugh discussing the decision to go for a 2-point conversion late in their 31-30 loss to the Packers on Sunday as evidence of the belief this team has in its coach. With the fate of the AFC North essentially up for grabs, I don’t expect the Ravens to fold, no matter if it’s Lamar Jackson or Tyler Huntley under center. It’s been a little while since Justin Tucker was a factor for Baltimore, but I think this is the week he returns to show he’s the “GOAT.”