In week 3 the Baltimore Ravens find themselves in a must win game against the 2-0 Cincinnati Bengals. The Ravens have struggled to produce any offensive punch in these last two games losing to the Denver Broncos and Oakland Raiders in very close games. Now they are facing a Bengals team that has looked strong in their last two contests posting wins against the Oakland Raiders and the San Diego Chargers. This is the first time the Ravens have started 0-2 under John Harbaugh and only the fourth time in franchise history; the Ravens would find themselves with a tough road to climb if they lose a third.
The Bengals on the other hand are off to a hot start. They are cruising thanks to Andy Dalton posting a 120.3 passer rating in his first two games. The fact that the Bengals have two impact rushers in Giovani Bernard and Jeremy Hill makes this an incredibly potent running game. Hill suffered two fumbles last week which caused him to be promptly benched. Bernard came in and immediately made an impact breaking 100 yards and the ground.
Impact Players:
Justin Forsett (BAL)(Running Back): Forsett has struggled in these past two games rushing for only 111 yards, 29 attempts, and no touchdowns. The Bengals bottled up and explosive Latavius Murray and held Melvin Gordon to 88 yards and kept him out of the end zone. Forsett will need to find some decent holes in this game to cement himself as the prominent running back in this Ravens offense.
Jeremy Hill/Giovani Bernard (CIN)(Running Back): This running back tandem has currently flipped roles than the ones they had in the 2014 season. Hill was named the starter for 2015 after an amazing year on the ground after playing a backup role to Giovani Bernard. Now Bernard is looking for some retribution, in two games he has rushed for 186 yards but has stayed out of the end zone. By comparison Hill rushed for 102 yards in 2 games as the starter and also stayed out of the end zone. Another comparison is the ridiculous week 1 game where Hill had 19 carries for only 63 yards while Giovani Bernard had 8 carries for the same number of rushing yards. The disparity between the two only has grown in week 2 but Cincinnati insists that Hill is still the starter. Hill was benched for fumbling twice in the week 2 matchup versus the San Diego Chargers, so he will attempt to get things back on track against an injury riddled Ravens defense.
Impact Matchup: Andy Dalton VS the Baltimore Ravens defense: Dalton has been great for the past two games but this will be his first true test against a division rival. Dalton has made a habit of choking in big games putting up inexplicably bad performances regularly. In 2015 he has appeared to turn it around focusing most his attention on his tight end Tyler Eifert. Eifert has come down with 3 touchdowns, 13 receptions, 17 targets, and 153 yards all in 2 games. In comparison AJ Green has 12 targets, 8 receptions, 108 receiving yards, and 1 touchdown. This Ravens defense will be tested by a deceptively good Bengals team, and without Terrell Suggs the younger playmakers in this unit will need to step up.
Bengals 28, Ravens 14
