It’s another divisional matchup for the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday as they take on the Cincinnati Bengals in their first home game in two weeks.
Lamar Jackson has missed the last two games with an ankle injury, but did practice this week; however, in a Saturday afternoon X post, the Ravens announced Jackson would not play against the Bengals.
It is an important game for both teams in what turned out to be a very competitive AFC North. The Bengals, 3-2, are coming off their bye week, while the 4-2 Ravens need to bounce back after the disappointing loss in Cleveland last week.
The Ravens have won six out of eight of the last matchups, including the last game when they shut out the Bengals 24-0. Whether Jackson plays will be the biggest factor in a Ravens win, as he is 11-2 against the Bengals as a starter.
This game will come down to the Ravens’ defense and how well they slow down Bengals’ quarterback Joe Burrow. Former Bengal Trey Hendrickson will be facing his former team for the first time and downplayed the notion of extra motivation for this game.
“I feel like if there was extra in the tank, I would feel like I let them down the other games. So, I try to pour the best Trey Hendrickson out every game, win or loss. That’s been my approach for the last 10 years, and I don’t think I’m going to change now,” Hendrickson said.
The defense is coming off one of its best games against the Browns despite the loss. They will need to build on their recent momentum and lean on players like Hendrickson to continue his strong play. He is ranked No. 1 in the NFL with a 22.7% pressure rate with 25 quarterback pressures this season. Nnamdi Madubuike is also dominating alongside Hendrickson with 16 QB pressures this season, second among interior linemen.
For the offense, they should rely on the running game against the Bengals, whose defense ranks toward the bottom of the league, allowing 123 yards rushing per game. Derrick Henry should be able to have a bounce-back game and could be on the verge of history again. He is only 111 rushing yards behind Jerome Bettis for eighth on the all-time NFL rushers list and 133 yards behind LaDainian Tomlinson for seventh.
In an attempt to reduce traffic in South Baltimore after the Ravens games, the Baltimore City Department of Transportation (DOT) will be starting a temporary traffic pattern along Hanover Street.
After the game, Hanover Street between West Street and Interstate 95 will only run southbound from 4-5:30 p.m., depending on the amount of traffic. This is intended to help the movement of vehicles leaving the parking lots of the stadium and reduce the traffic impacts on the surrounding neighborhoods.
Standard post-game intersection closures and detours will remain in effect, with the following modifications:
To accommodate the temporary traffic pattern, parking restrictions will be implemented during stadium events at the following locations:
West Street (north side only), between Race Street and Hanover Street
Hanover Street, on both sides immediately south of the West Street intersection
Light Rail: The Hamburg street and Camden stations are the closest Light Rail stops to M&T Bank Stadium.
Beginning at 10:30 am, MTA will supplement Light Rail Service with Express Shuttle Buses operating from Timonium Fairgrounds, Lutherville, and Glen Burnie/Cromwell directly to Camden Station.
After the game, riders will board Express Shuttle Buses at Camden. Riders traveling to BWI Airport will need to exit the train at the North Linthicum stop and take an MTA shuttle bus to BWI Airport.
Metro Subway: The closest Metro Subway station to M&T Bank Stadium is Charles Center. Exit at Charles Center station and take the West entrance/Charles St escalator to street level, continue on Baltimore St and turn left at CFG Arena towards M&T Bank Stadium.
Free parking is available at Owings Mills, Old Court, Milford Mill, Reisterstown Plaza, Rogers Ave, West Cold Spring and Mondawmin Metro stations.
Local Bus: CityLinks Navy, Yellow, Brown, and LocalLinks 51, 54, 73, 76, and 94 provide service to or near M&T Bank Stadium.
READ MORE:Everything to know before the Ravens-Bengals game Sunday
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