Lamar Jackson to face off with Burrow in PayCor Stadium for the first time, they met in Baltimore games but Jackson has missed the game last two years with injury. Jackson is 4-0 at PayCor, 7-1 overall record against the Bengals, but who was the Bengals QB in those games? Joe Burrow has his best AFC North stats against Baltimore, so this one is shaping up to be an early season heavyweight clash. Burrow’s quote, ” I love playing at home, it gives us energy.” On top of that it’s 17 games in a season now but still only 6 division games, this being the second for the Bengals puts them needing a win more. Going 0-2 in the division makes things worse and it appears there is a 30% chance of rain.
For the Bengals if you watched that game they were just slipping throwing, slipping catching and you could tell there hadn’t been as much practice. So you can put that with last years week 1 performance and this team will be back to form but are they there yet?
Baltimore will look to run the ball and keep the Bengals offense on the sideline. Both teams having some adversity to deal with, the Bengals not going 0-2 in the division, the Ravens have some players hurt. While I can’t say for sure when the Bengals will get it back in gear, I know with this group of guys they will. This is the one Cincinnati fans have missed the last few years and I think it lives up to the billing.
My prediction 27-20 Bengals
Bengals -3
Cincinnati Bengals (2023, September 14). Quick Hits: Finally, Paycor Hosts Ja’Marr Vs. Lamar; The Rumble Lives; Why Bengals LT Orlando Brown Jr. Calls It A Homecoming; Ravens OL Dented. Www.Bengals.com. Retrieved September 15, 2023, from https://www.bengals.com/news/finally-paycor-hosts-ja-marr-vs-lamar-the-rumble-lives-why-bengals-lt