Ravens have struggled to stop Chase, but Higgins will miss Cincinnati’s game at Baltimore

Cincinnati (3-8) at Baltimore (6-5)

Thursday 8:20 p.m. EST, NBC

BetMGM NFL Odds: Ravens by 7.

Against the spread: Bengals 4-7; Ravens 4-7.

Series record: Ravens lead 32-27.

Last meeting: Ravens beat Bengals 35-34 on Nov. 7, 2024, at Baltimore.

Last week: Bengals lost to Patriots 26-20; Ravens beat Jets 23-10.

Bengals offense: overall (23), rush (30), pass (14), scoring (T-18).

Bengals defense: overall (32), rush (32), pass (31), scoring (32).

Ravens offense: overall (21), rush (6), pass (29), scoring (10).

Ravens defense: overall (24), rush (20), pass (24), scoring (20).

Turnover differential: Bengals minus-7; Ravens even.

Bengals player to watch

QB Joe Burrow returns to the lineup after missing nine games because of a turf toe injury. The six-year veteran is 3-6 in starts against the Ravens with three of his five highest-yardage games coming against Baltimore. He passed for 428 yards and four touchdowns in last season’s Thursday night matchup in Baltimore, but was unable to complete a pass for a 2-point conversion late in the game as the Ravens held on for a one-point win.

Ravens player to watch

QB Lamar Jackson missed time with a hamstring injury earlier this season. Since then he’s been able to play despite ankle, knee and toe issues. But he hasn’t been much of a running threat and Baltimore’s offense still doesn’t look right. Can Jackson get it going against a weak Cincinnati defense?

Key matchup

Ravens RB Derrick Henry vs. Bengals Defense: The Bengals are ranked 31st in the league run defense, allowing 156 yards per game. Henry is tied for sixth in the league with 871 yards. He has 665 yards after contact this season, sixth most in the NFL. The Bengals have allowed 1,059 rushing yards after contact to running backs, second most behind only the Bills (1,099).

Key injuries

Bengals: WR Tee Higgins (concussion), DE Trey Hendrickson (hip) and RB Tahj Brooks (concussion) have been ruled out. Ravens: WR Rashod Bateman (ankle) did not play last weekend. He was limited at practice this week. S Kyle Hamilton (ankle) was limited at practice this week as well. RB Justice Hill (neck) missed practice time this week.

Series notes

The Bengals beat Baltimore in the first round of the playoffs three seasons ago. Since then, the Ravens have taken all four meetings, three by three points or fewer. … Cincinnati WR Ja’Marr Chase had 21 receptions (10 in Week 5 and 11 in Week 10) for 457 yards (193 in Week 5 and 264 in Week 10) and five touchdowns (two in Week 5 and three in Week 10) against Baltimore last season, the most yards receiving by a player against an opponent in a season in NFL history. … Burrow’s career passer rating against the Ravens, including playoffs, is 104.3. Jackson’s against the Bengals is 104.5.

Stats and stuff

The Bengals have lost four straight, marking the fourth time in Zac Taylor’s seven-year tenure they have had a skid of at least four games. … This is the second time Cincinnati has played on Thanksgiving, It lost at the New York Jets 26-10 in 2010. … Burrow has passed for at least 350 yards and three touchdowns in three of his past four games in prime time. … RB Chase Brown has at least 100 yards from scrimmage in five straight games, the longest active streak in the league. He has scored a touchdown in two straight games against the Ravens. … Bengals LB Demertrius Knight Jr. is second among rookies with 78 tackles. … Cincinnati LB Barrett Carter has at least 10 tackles in four games this season. … S Geno Stone, who spent his first four seasons with Baltimore, had his second career pick-6 last week along with a career-high 13 tackles for the Bengals. … Cincinnati CB DJ Turner leads the league with 15 passes defensed. … Bengals K Evan McPherson set a franchise record with a 63-yard field goal on the last play of the first half last week. … After a 1-5 start, the Ravens have won five in a row to pull into a first-place tie with Pittsburgh in the AFC North. … Baltimore has held six straight opponents under 20 points, the longest active streak in the NFL. … The Ravens are 22-4 in home prime-time games under coach John Harbaugh, although that includes a loss to Detroit earlier this season. … Baltimore’s Mark Andrews needs three receptions to pass Derrick Mason (471) for the franchise’s career record. … Henry needs 19 yards rushing to pass Hall of Famer Jim Brown (12,312) for 11th on the career list. … DeAndre Hopkins of the Ravens needs one catch to reach 1,000. … Baltimore P Jordan Stout is first in the league in net average (46.2) and second in gross average (51.4). … Ravens DB Marlon Humphrey has 17 career forced fumbles, including a big one near the goal line last weekend.

Fantasy tip

The Ravens have struggled in the red zone, but against the Cincinnati defense they could get plenty of chances. Henry, Andrews and Bateman (if healthy) are the ones to watch.

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