Anonymous NFL executive has bold take on Ravens vs Bengals playoff showdown
The Athletic spoke to various anonymous coaches and executives this week to gauge their thoughts on the NFL playoffs. And one of the executives had quite the take on the showdown between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Baltimore Ravens. Cincinnati will host the Ravens for the second straight week. The Bengals beat Baltimore 27-16 last […]
The Athletic spoke to various anonymous coaches and executives this week to gauge their thoughts on the NFL playoffs.
And one of the executives had quite the take on the showdown between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Baltimore Ravens.
Cincinnati will host the Ravens for the second straight week. The Bengals beat Baltimore 27-16 last weekend, securing a home game in a playoff rematch against the Ravens.
Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson didn't play in the regular season finale against Cincinnati and there's a good chance he doesn't this week, either.
An anonymous NFL executive that spoke to The Athletic doesn't think it matters if Jackson plays — he has the Bengals beating the Ravens regardless of who's under center for Baltimore.
“The difference in QB and wide receivers makes this a Cincinnati win,” said the executive. “Even if Lamar plays, I don’t think he makes a difference.”
An anonymous coach shared a similar sentiment.
“The Ravens will run it OK, but the Bengals offense will score enough, and the Ravens can’t keep up,” said the coach.
Ultimately, the game has to be played and opinions like this won't have any impact on the outcome.
Still, it's interesting to see how the rest of the league views this matchup. It's clear that the Bengals are viewed around the NFL as a team that could be a major problem in the later rounds of the playoffs.
For that to matter, though, Cincy has to take care of business against the Ravens on Sunday night.
Featured image via Kareem Elgazzar-USA TODAY Sports
