Behind Enemy Lines: Ravens running game may out-bully Bengals

In preparing for Sunday night's matchup against the Cincy Jungle's Anthony Cosenza and I sat down for a Q&A for one another's publications.

The Bengals currently sit at 1-3, with their lone victory coming against the Andy Dalton-led Carolina Panthers. While they tend to start slow, starting the past three seasons at 0-2, what do you make of this team? Is their record indicative of their talent?

"Is their record indicative of their talent?"—yes and no. Yes, because the acquisitions haven't quite lived up to expectations yet and some of the same issues (tackling) have continued on from last year. They gambled on opting not to re-sign DJ Reader, which is looking to be a bad decision and they are waiting for some recent draft picks to hit their stride.

But it's also not truly indicative of things, as the offense has played largely well and other facets are clicking. They played horribly in Week 1 against the Patriots and had an opportunity to win that one and were a questionable penalty on fourth down called against them away from beating the Chiefs in Arrowhead.

Still, they aren't seeming to catch the breaks we've become accustomed to in their two recent, deep playoff runs and they're making their own mistakes that have doomed them to 1-3.

Over the past two weeks, the Bengals run game appears more involved. They have had back-to-back 120+ rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns in two games. What has allowed them to become a more balanced offense?

The mixing in of using "12 personnel" has really helped them here. Teams were catching up to a lot of what they did when they operated largely out of shotgun/spread, so they emphasized being more diverse on offense.

Cincinnati finally invested heavily in the tight end position this year, re-signing two veterans (Drew Sample and Tanner Hudson), bringing in a free agent (Mike Gesicki) and drafting two guys (Erick All, Jr. and Tanner McLachlan). All has been outstanding and a key piece to what they are doing on the ground.

It also helps that Chase Brown is shining with a more prominent role this year and that the offensive line has improved, as a whole.

Last season, the Bengals finished as the No. 26 ranked rushing defense. Through four weeks of this season, they're ranked No. 25. Did they make additions to improve this area that haven't panned out? How do you see them attempting to slow down Derrick Henry, Lamar Jackson and Justice Hill?

The only way things improve this week is with the guys on the defensive line coming back from injury. Their only true nose tackle, rookie McKinley Jackson, is back, as are Myles Murphy and B.J. Hill.

This will certainly help, but a lot of tackling issues have actually been occurring in the defensive backfield. Safeties Vonn Bell and Geno Stone have either been taking bad angles and/or are allowing ball-carriers to elude their grasp, making chunk plays occur frequently.

Reader had some of his best pro games against Henry, as both a Texan and a Bengal, so the decision to not re-sign him again appears puzzling. I wouldn't be surprised if Henry has another big game.

From looking over the stats, quarterback Joe Burrow has been a model of efficiency. In every game besides Week 2 against the Kansas City Chiefs, he's posted a 71%-or higher completion percentage. What can you say about Burrow's play this season that can't just be understood from the numbers? How can the Ravens look to slow him down on Sunday?

He's playing as confident as ever and is off to one of the best overall starts of his career. Again, the move to diversify the offense with spread and 12 personnel looks (and being able to actually run the ball and sell things to the opposing defense) has made Burrow even more dangerous.

I'd say the thing that is getting overlooked is actually the play of the offensive line. They've been a maligned group over the years, but the Bengals have slowly rebuilt it with a couple of their own draft picks and a slate of big-name free agents. It's coming together well at the moment.

In terms of slowing him down, Baltimore's defense doesn't have a Myles Garrett/T.J. Watt, but they appear to be a group that is solid across the board and can generate pressure from multiple spots. If they succeed with that, it could make for a frustrating day for No. 9.

Give us two scenarios. First, how would you see the Ravens winning? And the other, what would be the most likely scenario that sees the Bengals winning?

The Ravens would win in the most Baltimore-esque way—run game, Justin Tucker and solid defense. It sounds boring, but I mean that in the most flattering way, as that's what has won them championships in the past and it's a great way to keep Burrow off of the field.

The Bengals win by keeping it close and if the reinforcements coming back to the lineup have the desired effect on defense. They absolutely cannot have sloppy tackling when trying to bring down Henry and/or Lamar Jackson, so that also has to be part of the overall equation.