Ja’Marr Chase was the receiver who hurt Baltimore the most in Week 5 (10 catches, 193 yards, two TDs), and he showed off his explosive ability to run after the catch on a 70-yard touchdown play.
Tee Higgins, who also had a big day against the Ravens last month (nine catches, 83 yards, two touchdowns), did not practice Monday and Tuesday, putting his availability Thursday night in doubt.
However, the Ravens also have to be wary of Bengals tight end Mike Gesicki, who had two touchdown catches and 100 receiving yards against the Raiders. Burrow has great confidence in his accuracy and often throws the ball where his receivers can make a play on the ball, even when covered. It will be important for the Ravens to win football battles when Burrow throws into tight windows.
“Last game, there were a lot of contested catches, and they seemed to go down with a lot of them,” Humphrey said. “You know what you’re getting with Joe. He’s an elite quarterback, so it’s always a tough challenge.”
Humphrey is happy to get another shot in Cincinnati, a chance to show that Baltimore’s pass defense is really trending in the right direction. Burrow can benefit from even the smallest error in coverage, but Humphrey believes the Ravens’ pass defense has become more cohesive.
“We just have to keep chasing the details,” Humphrey said. “We have to do it exactly how we coached, exactly how we do it in practice, until we go into the game. We can’t just practice it all week like that — practice that way — and then come into the game, and it’s not exactly the way you just practiced it.”
“A lot of times this year, there’s just one guy who’s not exactly where he’s supposed to be, and that’s where he’s been hit. It’s those tiny little details that make everyone tighten up their approach, tighten up their mentality. … It keeps you focused.” “And this is what we need.”
