The bad news continues to pile up for the Bengals with Stewart having to sit out again, but Cincinnati will need to persevere in order to claim a big-time divisional matchup win.
Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals take on one of their AFC North rivals, the Baltimore Ravens. While neither team is having a stellar year, both are still technically eligible to make the playoffs, so the stakes are high for two struggling but hungry teams. After comments from Burrow about needing to have fun playing football again, the Bengals really do not want to lose a heavily contested matchup for their star quarterback.
After losing superstar defensive end Trey Hendrickson for the season due to core muscle surgery, the Bengals are in need of a real spark defensively. Not to mention, they currently hold the worst-ranked defense in the entire league this season, so losing the reigning sack leader in the NFL certainly doesn’t help their case.
Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson
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Ahead of the Week 15 matchup between the Bengals and the Ravens, though, the final injury report spells bad news for Bengals fans.
First-round pick out of Texas A&M, Shemar Stewart, has been officially ruled out for Sunday’s contest after being taken off IR earlier in the week. While there was optimism he would be ready to go against the Ravens after practicing all week, he will remain on the sidelines, with his next opportunity to play being against the Miami Dolphins in Week 16.
This is another blow for Bengals fans after the good news of him being taken off IR. Baltimore possesses one of the best rushing quarterback-running back duos of all time in Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry, and being without their rookie first-round pick, along with Henderson, is a huge blow to an already struggling defensive line.
How Can the Bengals Still Make the Playoffs?
The path for Cincinnati to make the playoffs is much slimmer than that of Baltimore’s. However, if the Bengals manage to win this matchup, they can become spoilers for this Ravens team. Going into Week 15, the Bengals sit three games back of the Pittsburgh Steelers for the divisional lead, while the Ravens sit just one game back.
Due to their struggles in Burrow’s nine-game absence, Cincinnati does not control its own destiny. The only way for the Bengals to make the playoffs without tiebreakers coming into play would be for them to win their remaining four games, the Ravens to lose their next three games and beat the Steelers in Week 18, and the Steelers to lose their final four games. While neither the Steelers nor the Ravens have shown to be Super Bowl contenders this season, it is also extremely unlikely that either team loses as much as the Bengals need them to.