Joe Burrow has been overcoming adversity his entire football life. Thanksgiving Night will be no different.
Playing in his first game back from sustaining a Grade 3 turf toe injury in Week 2 this season, Burrow will lead the 3-8 Bengals into Baltimore to take on the 6-5 Ravens in prime time. It’s a tall task, but so was taking the 2021 Bengals to Super Bowl LVI while sustaining a league-high 51 sacks in the regular season and 19 more in the Playoffs and the Super Bowl. So, too, was playing at Buffalo in the snow without three starting offensive linemen in the Divisional round of the Playoffs the following season.
Burrow is built to overcome adversity. It probably won’t happen this season, but I still firmly believe that Joe Burrow is eventually going to win a Super Bowl with the Bengals.
With that, let’s take a look at the Baltimore Ravens, keys to the game, and score prediction for Thanksgiving Night.
Quarterback: No. 8: Lamar Jackson — 6-2, 205 lbs. 8th Season, Louisville
Stats: 66.7 Cmp%, 1,595 yds, 15 TD, 3 INT; 46 rush, 237 yds, 1 TD
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Even though he’s had an adverse season, particularly on the injury front that cost him three games earlier this season, Jackson is still a very dangerous and great player. He’s a two-time MVP for a reason, and his record against the Bengals speaks for itself.
Jackson plays well against the Bengals because he knows these games are big games. The Ravens have won the AFC North the last two seasons, and the Bengals won the AFC North in the two seasons before that.
Plus, Jackson has played well in November and December throughout his career. Since returning, the Ravens are on a five-game winning streak. While he and the Ravens haven’t peaked yet this season, they have surged in November and December before.
Four Players to Watch on the Ravens
1. No. 22: Running Back, Derrick Henry — 6-2, 252 lbs. 10th Season, Alabama
Stats: 197 rush, 871 yds, 9 TD; 13 rec., 98 yds
Henry was held in check in both games against the Bengals last season, except for his long run in overtime that set up the game-winning field goal in Week 5. The Bengals, especially with Lou Anarumo as their defensive coordinator, did a mostly good job of not letting him run right through them, including in the Playoffs in 2021.
While Henry’s numbers this season may not be close to what they were last season, he is still averaging a solid 79.2 rushing yards per game. Preventing him from getting downhill will be a big key for the Bengals’ defense on Thanksgiving Night.
2. No. 89: Tight End, Mark Andrews — 6-5, 250 lbs. 8th Season, Oklahoma
Stats: 33 rec., 285 yds, 5 TD
Andrews has always played well against the Bengals, so he is definitely a player worth watching for in this game. The Bengals have struggled to cover elite tight ends for years, and Andrews is one of many who have tormented the Bengals over the middle of the field. Taking away the middle of the field and limiting Andrews’s explosive plays are two things the Bengals’ defense must do to pull off the upset.
3. No. 14: Safety, Kyle Hamilton — 6-4, 218 lbs. 4th Season, Notre Dame
Stats: 69 TKL, 6 PD, 2 FF, 1 sack, 5 TFL, 4 QBH
Hamilton is a demon at safety. The Ravens drafted him in 2022, just months after Joe Burrow threw for a combined 941 yards and seven touchdowns against them in two games in 2021. A hard-hitter and excellent blitzer, Hamilton can make a difference in any game.
4. No. 44: Cornerback, Marlon Humphrey — 6-0, 210 lbs. 9th Season, Alabama
Stats: 37 TKL, 1 INT, 5 PD, 2 FF, 1 FR, 1 TFL, 1 QBH
It was Humphrey who made the game-changing and momentum-swinging plays in both games against the Bengals in 2024. He intercepted Burrow late in the fourth quarter when the Bengals were on the verge of putting the game away in Cincinnati, and he forced a fumble against Chase Brown that sparked the Ravens’ 14-point comeback in the second half in Baltimore.
Humphrey and Ja’Marr Chase have had some excellent battles in the past, and they should again on Thanksgiving Night. It’s the Ravens’ best cornerback against the Bengals’ best wide receiver, two All-Pros going at it on Thanksgiving Night. What could be better?
Head Coach: John Harbaugh (18th season, 178-109) — 63 years old
There is no denying that John Harbaugh is one of the best head coaches of his generation. In 18 seasons with the Ravens, he has had them among the NFL’s most consistent teams.
The Ravens won Super Bowl XLVII in 2012, one of four times Harbaugh has led the Ravens to the AFC Championship Game. In addition, the Ravens have won six AFC North titles and have been to the Playoffs 12 times in Harbaugh’s first 17 seasons. Of those 12 Postseason appearances, the Ravens have won at least one playoff game nine times.
Winning the AP NFL Coach of the Year in 2019, Harbaugh came to Baltimore after 10 seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles. He was their special teams coordinator for nine of those 10 seasons, including on their Super Bowl XXXIX team in 2004.
In the college ranks, Harbaugh was a special teams coordinator at Indiana, Cincinnati, and Morehead State. He started his coaching career as the running backs and outside linebackers coach at Western Michigan in 1984.
Harbaugh played college football at Miami (OH) as a defensive back.
Offensive Coordinator: Todd Monken (3rd season) — 59 years old
Since becoming the Ravens’ offensive coordinator in 2023, Monken has taken Jackson and the Ravens’ offense to incredible heights.
The Ravens rank first in red zone TD pct. (67.9), rushing yards per game (172.1), and passer rating (110.8), and second in points per game (28.4), yards per play (6.3), and total yards per game (397.6) during this span.
Prior to Baltimore, Monken was the offensive coordinator with the Georgia Bulldogs when they won back-to-back national championships. He was also the offensive coordinator for the Cleveland Browns and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, which followed three seasons as the head coach at Southern Miss. He led the Golden Eagles to the Conference-USA Championship game in 2015.
Defensive Coordinator: Zachary Orr (2nd season) — 33 years old
A standout linebacker with the Ravens from 2014-2016, Orr, after having to retire due to a congenital neck/spine condition, has been with the Ravens for every season except 2021, when he was the Jacksonville Jaguars’ outside linebackers coach.
Orr started as a defensive analyst from 2017-20 with the Ravens, before coming back as their inside linebackers coach from 2022-23.
The Ravens ranked in the top 10 in several categories in Orr’s first season as defensive coordinator in 2024, including rush defense (80.1 ypg, first), yards per rush (3.6, first), sacks (54, second), QB hits (115, second), yards per play (5.2, sixth), scoring (21.2 ppg, ninth) and total defense (324.1 ypg, 10th)…The unit produced five Pro Bowlers (S Kyle Hamilton, CB Marlon Humphrey, DT Nnamdi Madubuike, ILB Roquan Smith, and OLB Kyle Van Noy), two AP first-team All-Pros (Humphrey and Smith), and one AP second-team All-Pro (Hamilton).
As a player, Orr was Second-Team All-Pro in 2016 and First-Team All-Conference-USA at North Texas in 2013.
Special Teams Coordinator: Chris Horton (7th season) — 40 years old
Horton is another part of the continuity of the Ravens’ coaching staff. He’s been with the Ravens since 2014 in a special teams role, starting as an assistant coach for five seasons before moving into his current role in 2019.
Since 2019, the Ravens’ special teams rank in the Top 10 in yards per punt return (11.1, second), punt returns of 20+ yards (19, fourth), opponent yards per kickoff return (22.0, sixth), and kick return TDs (three, tied for sixth).
As a player at UCLA, Horton was a First-Team All-American in 2007.
Keys to the Game
1. Protect the Franchise. No further explanation needed, Your Honor
Again, no further explanation needed, Your Honor.
2. Run the ball
This will help take the pressure off Burrow and not make him have to throw the ball 40 times. In addition, it will be very cold Thanksgiving Night in Baltimore. Running the football is a must.
3. Dare Lamar Jackson and the Ravens’ receivers to beat you on the perimeter
Taking away Mark Andrews will make Jackson have to beat the Bengals down the sidelines with his receivers. As a Bengals fan, you’ll take that chance.
4. Win the turnover battle
In division games, the turnover battle is a crucial component. Winning this could win the Bengals this ultra-important game.
Score Prediction: Ravens 34 – Bengals 27
While I believe Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase will both play well Thanksgiving Night, I still can’t trust the Bengals’ defense to win this game against the Ravens. Expect another offensive fireworks performance from these two teams with, hopefully, a different result.
1,081 passing yards