For Marlon Humphrey, playing in the AFC North means seeing the Cincinnati Bengals twice each season and defending star wide receivers Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.
Humphrey knows Baltimore's pass defense must be on point Sunday to keep Cincinnati's explosive passing offense led by quarterback Joe Burrow in check.
"Joe has a lot of confidence in his guys," Humphrey said. "It doesn't matter what (coverage) you're in, there will be multiple times in the game where he just feels his guy is better than you.
"It's pretty heavy on myself, the secondary, and Nate Wiggins to make the plays when they come to us. We've passed some tests this year, but I think this will by far be the biggest test yet."
Over his 10-year career, Humphrey has seen plenty of Chase, and results have been mixed. According to Next Gen Stats, Chase has been matched up against Humphrey 83 times, his most reps against any defender since entering the NFL in 2021. During those matchups, Chase has caught 14 of 21 targets for 318 yards, his most against any individual defender. But Humphrey has also recorded two interceptions when covering Chase.
Wiggins entered the league in 2024 and has fared better in his 40 matchups with Chase, allowing eight receptions on 17 targets for 102 yards.
If the Bengals ever decided to trade Chase, Humphrey wouldn't mind.
"It'd be cool if I didn't matchup with him so much," Humphrey said with a chuckle. "He's obviously one of the best in the game. Tee is right up there with him in the top 10 in this league.
"You know they'll be plays made. I think the biggest thing going into the matchup is that you just want to try to win more than they win. Try to limit the explosives. It's an all-hands-on-deck game. We look forward to the challenge."
Ravens Ready to See Offensive Line Investments Pay Off
Baltimore's offensive line has had moving pieces ever since Aug. 19. That's when projected starting center Danny Pinter suffered a season-ending knee injury in joint practices against the Minnesota Vikings.
The offensive line had two more centers, Jovaughn Gwyn and Ethan Pocic, lost to major injuries in the same game. The Ravens moved first-round pick Vega Ioane to center, a position he had hardly ever played before.
The replacement guards, Andrew Vorhees and Emery Jones Jr., both dealt with foot and ankle injuries, respectively. The Ravens traded for Pro Bowl center Cam Jurgens, but a concussion sidelined him for two games.
After all that, the Ravens' offensive line is finally set this week. Head Coach Jesse Minter said the offensive line defines the identity of a team. Baltimore's starting five now, finally, has a chance to start to realize that.
"That's been kind of a rotating door just as far as the offensive line position, [with] those five spots," Offensive Coordinator Declan Doyle said Thursday.
"[Jurgens] has done a great job, and yet there's no substitute for live bullets. I'm really excited for at some point in time for him to get out there and be able to start on this path with his teammates."
The Ravens' offensive line has a tough matchup against the Bengals, who this offseason traded the No. 10 overall pick in this year's NFL Draft for Pro Bowl defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence, and signed defensive end Boye Mafe and defensive tackle Jonathan Allen.
Cincinnati invested heavily in the defensive trenches this offseason. The Ravens invested heavily in the offensive trenches with a first-round pick on Ioane, the signing of veteran guard John Simpson, and now a second-round pick and more for Jurgens.
They'll look to protect whoever plays quarterback Sunday for the Ravens and help get Derrick Henry going on the ground after he was bottled up for a season-low 58 rushing yards by the Browns' aggressive defensive front.
"They're stout, disruptive, run stoppers, big, physical. They've been doing a great job," Henry said. "[Lawrence] has been doing a great job. He's been a great addition for them. So has John, my Alabama boy. They've been playing very well. It's a challenge."
Doyle Talks About Offensive Struggles in Second Half
In three of their six games, the Ravens have not scored a second-half touchdown. They were shut out during the final 30 minutes against the Tennessee Titans and Cleveland Browns and scored just three points in the second half against the New Orleans Saints.
After scoring on their first two drives to take a 10-0 lead in Cleveland, the Ravens came up empty on their final nine drives. That included a trio of three-and-outs and a one-play drive that ended with a crucial Henry fumble.
"What we put on tape wasn't up to our standard," Doyle said. "We didn't run the ball as effectively, and when that happens it becomes more challenging to work some of the things off the run game."
Doyle said the Ravens didn't counter well enough in Cleveland after the Browns loaded the defensive box and committed to stopping Henry. No matter who starts at quarterback on Sunday, Doyle said the Ravens need to be resourceful enough to counter whatever the Bengals show them defensively.
"We have it on our wall in the offensive room, 'Nobody adjusts better than us,'" Doyle said. "That's really the name of the game. You have got to be ready to handle whatever comes up."
