Four Storylines for Ravens Thanksgiving Matchup vs. Bengals

The resilient Baltimore Ravens are coming off their fifth straight win and will face off with the middling Cincinnati Bengals in Week 13. There are several intriguing storylines surrounding another massively important matchup for the Ravens, who currently sit atop the AFC North standings. Here are the top four.

Will offense finally find a way out of funk?

For the first time since the Lamar Jackson era, the Ravens have been able to consistently find ways to prevail during a winning streak without the two-time league MVP being the overwhelming catalyst for their success. However, by their own admission, they need to play better on the offensive side of the ball in order to reach their ultimate goals and legitimately contend for the Super Bowl. Where they need to improve the most from both execution and play-calling standpoints is in the red zone, where they've only scored touchdowns on just five of their 14 trips inside their opponents' 20-yard line.

Jackson has been hampered by one minor injury after another since returning to the lineup after missing three games due to a hamstring strain, which has taken some of their dynamism out of their typical plan of attack with him under center. Nevertheless, even a less than 100% or even 80% version of the three-time All Pro with limited mobility should me more than enough to carve up the Bengals' woeful defense that is without All Pro pass rusher Trey Hendrickson. With how poor Cincinnati's middle of the field coverage is between their young linebackers and underperforming safeties, Jackson should have a field day throwing to his tight ends, especially down the seams and between the hashes.

Star offensive weapons likely to reach major milestones

Baltimore Ravens tight end Mark Andrews dices under Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson on Nov 7, 2024. — Nov 7, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Ravens tight end Mark Andrews (89) dices under Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson (91) after making a catch during the second half at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images | Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

The Ravens have a trio of veteran players on offense who are on the precipice of joining elite company, and all three of them could reach their respective notable achievements in the first quarter, if not the first drive of the game. Three-time Pro Bowl tight end Mark Andrews needs four catches to surpass Derrick Mason for the most in franchise history, which would give him the triple crown after breaking the touchdown record last season and receiving yards record two weeks ago against the Cleveland Browns.

Five-time Pro Bowl wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins is just one catch away from becoming just the 18th player in NFL history to reach 1,000 career receptions. After passing three Hall of Famers on the league's all-time rushing list last week, five-time Pro Bowl running back Derrick Henry needs 17 rushing yards to pass the great Jim Brown for the 11th-most.

Can defense prevent Bengals from getting a Joe Burrow bump?

Baltimore Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey celebrates a forced fumble during the fourth quarter against the New York Jets. — Nov 23, 2025; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey (44) celebrates after forcing a fumble during the fourth quarter against the New York Jets at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-Imagn Images | Peter Casey-Imagn Images

The Ravens were in a similar situation to their rivals not too long ago, with their franchise quarterback not coming back as soon as they expected despite returning to practice from an injury and having to play on a short week. In Jackson's first game back against the Miami Dolphins to kick off Week 9 on a Thursday night primetime bout, their offense went a perfect 4-of-4 in the red zone, and the passing game went from looking a little rusty out of the game to a well-oiled machine by the end of it.

Since Burrow is much less reliant on his mobility to operate the Bengals offense, even having just recovered from toe surgery, he will still be looking to stand tall in the pocket and try to give his team a much-needed jolt after losing four straight and eight of the last nine games.

It will be up to what has been one of the stingiest and opportunistic defensive units in the league to ensure that doesn't happen so that they can keep their win streak going and further bury their foes into obscurity. The Ravens have held each of their last six opponents to under 20 points and forced at least one takeaway in each of those games. They could very well continue that impressive trend if they keep up and further dial in their improved play as a whole.

Are Ravens going to continue holiday game dominance?

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) and running back Derrick Henry (22) wear Santa coats while being interviewed. — Dec 25, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) and running back Derrick Henry (22) wear Santa coats while being interviewed by Netflix host Jamie Erdahl after the game against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

This game will mark the team's first time playing on Thanksgiving since the 2013 season, when they bested the Pittsburgh Steelers in one of the most memorable wins in franchise history. However, it will also be the second straight year that they're playing on one of the two major end-of-the-year holidays, as they spent the last two Christmas eves and days on the road playing primetime games against high quality opponents.

The Ravens took care of business in dominant fashion in both games, blowing out the Houston Texans a whopping 31-2 last year and bludgeoning the NFC-leading San Francisco 49ers 33-19 in 2023. Playing under a national spotlight usually brings the best out of the Ravens most of the time, but especially around this time of year when they start peaking at the right time for the final home stretch. With advantages in terms of healthy and favorable matchups on both sides of the ball as well as special teams, they are primed to dominate another lesser opponent to further tighten their hold on the division lead.

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