Cincinnati Bengals: What to watch, key players for Week 11 vs. Ravens

Prediction

This is always a tough matchup to predict in the Andy Dalton era. Cincinnati leads the season series 9-6 since Dalton’s first season at the helm (8-6 with him behind center).

Dalton has thrown 19 touchdowns, with multiple scores five different times; he’s also thrown 17 interceptions, with four games of three-or-more picks and two games with four. Half the time, he does well (89.3+ passer rating seven times); the other half, he’s been awful (78.7 or worse seven times). The way Dalton goes, his team follows as they’re 7-0 when he plays well, 1-6 when he doesn’t.

Things are complicated further by the absence of Green. He’s missed more of these games than Dalton (active for 11 of them), but is clearly the catalyst for Cincinnati’s offense when he does. He’s scored touchdowns in over half of those games, and has put on some absolutely dominant affairs (227 yards, three touchdowns in a 2015 victory; three touchdowns in the game earlier this season).

Dalton’s been really good for most of this season, but it is questionable whether he can continue that trend when his best player is sidelined. Last week would hint at the answer being no, but that may have been more due to the level of competition than anything else. Baltimore is not set up to light a scoreboard on fire, so Cincinnati won’t be forced into the wrong end of a shootout from the jump.

Will that be enough to let Cincinnati survive? I think it will. Complete some deep shots to Ross, trust Tyler Boyd on key downs, and as long as the defense makes some important stops along the way Cincinnati can squeak out of Baltimore with a close victory.

Cincinnati 20, Baltimore 16