The next chapter of the AFC North’s sharpest rivalry lands on Thursday, December 31, when Joe Burrow’s Bengals welcome Baltimore to Paycor Stadium in primetime. Before kickoff, every fan wants the same thing: a clear read on the Cincinnati Bengals vs Baltimore Ravens match player stats, who is healthy, who is hot, and which individual battles will tilt the scoreboard.
This guide opens with the game details, then moves into the freshest team news, a full head-to-head comparison, and a position-by-position look at the numbers that matter most.
Upcoming Match: Cincinnati Bengals vs Baltimore Ravens Match Player Stats and Game Details
Here is the quick-reference card for the next meeting between the two clubs.
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Matchup | Baltimore Ravens at Cincinnati Bengals |
| Date | Thursday, December 31 |
| Kickoff | 8:15 p.m. ET |
| Stage | NFL Week 17, regular season |
| Venue | Paycor Stadium, Cincinnati |
| Broadcast | Thursday Night Football on Amazon Prime Video |
| Series status | Bengals took the Week 7 meeting 35–13 in Baltimore |
The calendar handed this rivalry a special slot. It closes the year, falls one week before the regular season ends, and sits in the heart of the divisional race. Baltimore’s own team site went as far as calling it a possible game of the year on the Ravens schedule, and Cincinnati’s side of the story is just as loaded. The Bengals have also played the Ravens in primetime four straight seasons, always on the road, so this is the first time in four years they get the primetime crowd at home.
Why does that matter for the Cincinnati Bengals vs Baltimore Ravens match player stats? Home field in a loud, late-night setting tends to reshape snap counts, false-start totals and third-down results. The sections below show how each roster is shaping up.
Latest Updates Before the Bengals vs Ravens Rematch
Plenty has changed since the two teams last shared a field. Both rosters look different now, and so do their trajectories.
Bengals Latest Updates: A Franchise-Record Scoring Run
Cincinnati is rolling. The Bengals improved to 6–2 with a 34–17 win over Atlanta in Madrid and have now won four in a row. They have scored 30 or more points in four consecutive games, something the franchise had not done since 1997, and that win moved them into a tie with Pittsburgh at the top of the AFC North.
The engine is familiar. Burrow completed 24 of 29 passes for 271 yards against the Falcons and accounted for four touchdowns. Ja’Marr Chase caught 10 passes for 155 yards and a score, while Tee Higgins found the end zone twice. Higgins also entered that game second in the league in receiving yards with 726, and Burrow led the NFL with 20 touchdown passes before adding three more in Spain.
A week earlier, Cincinnati survived a 43–36 overtime shootout with Tennessee. Burrow earned FedEx Air and Ground Player of the Week honors for that effort, and Higgins was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week. Next up is a Sunday Night Football home date with the Steelers, a game that will shape the division picture before the Ravens even arrive.
Ravens Latest Updates: Quarterback Chaos in Baltimore
Baltimore’s season has taken a hard turn. The Ravens sit at 4–5 after four straight losses, the latest a 33–10 defeat to Jacksonville in the rain, a game in which they committed seven penalties, six of them false starts.
The bigger story is under center. Lamar Jackson suffered a fractured and dislocated thumb in the loss at Buffalo, had surgery, and went on injured reserve with an estimated recovery window of six to nine weeks. He has reportedly told teammates he wants to return as long as the Ravens remain alive in the playoff race. Backup Tyler Huntley is also out for the rest of the year with a toe injury, which forced undrafted rookie Joe Fagnano into his first NFL start.
Baltimore’s answer was a trade for veteran Jacoby Brissett, who has 73 career starts. The Ravens sent a fourth-round pick in 2027 and a seventh-rounder in 2028 to Arizona, and got a 2027 fifth-rounder back. Brissett is expected to make his debut against the winless Chargers on Monday Night Football in Week 10. Derrick Henry, meanwhile, is reportedly not expected to be moved, so the veteran back remains the foundation of the offense.
Injury and Roster Watch for the Cincinnati Bengals vs Baltimore Ravens Match Player Stats
Three items could change the player-stat picture by December 31:
- Lamar Jackson’s thumb. The recovery estimate technically leaves the door open for Week 17, but it depends on both healing and the standings.
- Cashius Howell. Cincinnati’s second-round rookie edge rusher, who recorded his first career sack in the last meeting, was placed on injured reserve with a wrist injury.
- Ravens’ quarterback room. Brissett, Fagnano and any Jackson return create three very different statistical profiles for the Baltimore offense.
Always check the official injury reports in the days before kickoff, because these situations can shift quickly.
Last Meeting Recap: What the Week 7 Player Stats Revealed
The most recent chapter of this rivalry was a statement. Baltimore led 13–0 at halftime, then Cincinnati scored 35 unanswered points to win 35–13 at M&T Bank Stadium. Only ten teams in league history had been shut out in the first half and still scored 35 or more after the break.
Burrow and Higgins Take Over the Second Half
Burrow finished 22 of 30 for 292 yards and four touchdowns, and every one of those scores came after intermission. His second-half line was 16 of 18 for 249 yards. Higgins was the leading receiver with six catches for 148 yards and a touchdown, while Chase added five catches for 62 yards and a score.
Cincinnati’s tight ends joined the party as well. Mike Gesicki scored a six-yard touchdown to start the third quarter, extending his streak of games with a touchdown to four, and Drew Sample put the final touch on the win with a 16-yard catch. Samaje Perine added a short rushing touchdown early in the fourth quarter.
The Defense Slams the Door
The defensive side of the Cincinnati Bengals vs Baltimore Ravens match player stats was just as lopsided. The Bengals recorded four sacks, held Baltimore scoreless after halftime, and picked off Tyler Huntley when linebacker Demetrius Knight Jr. grabbed his first interception of the season. Boye Mafe led the pass rush with two sacks, Dexter Lawrence added one, and Howell contributed the first sack of his career.
Punter Ryan Rehkow also deserves a mention. All four of his punts were downed inside the Baltimore 20, which helped win the field-position battle even though the Ravens held the ball for roughly 35 minutes to Cincinnati’s 25.
Head-to-Head Comparison: Bengals vs Ravens
Numbers on a rivalry this long give context to every new meeting, and they frame the Cincinnati Bengals vs Baltimore Ravens match player stats you will see on game day.
All-Time Series Record
| Category | Ravens | Bengals |
|---|---|---|
| Overall series (including playoffs) | 33 wins | 29 wins |
| Regular-season series | 33 wins | 28 wins |
| Postseason | 0 wins | 1 win (2022 Wild Card, 24–17) |
| Total meetings | 62 | 62 |
Baltimore owns the long-term edge, yet the Bengals have closed the gap in recent years, and the single playoff game between them went Cincinnati’s way. The two clubs split their 2025 meetings, and Cincinnati’s Week 7 win in 2026 extended that recent balance.
Recent Meetings at a Glance
| Meeting | Result |
|---|---|
| Week 7, 2026 | Bengals 35, Ravens 13 |
| Mid-December 2025 | Ravens 24, Bengals 0 |
| Thanksgiving week 2025 | Bengals 32, Ravens 14 |
| 2024 Thursday-night meeting | Ravens 35, Bengals 34 |
| 2023 Thursday-night meeting | Ravens 34, Bengals 20 |
Notice the swings. Margins here jump from one-point finishes to blowouts in either direction, which is exactly why generic season averages fail to predict this series.
Cincinnati Bengals vs Baltimore Ravens Match Player Stats: Player-vs-Player Comparison
| Position | Bengals | Ravens | Edge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterback | Joe Burrow: over 2,300 passing yards, 23 touchdown passes after the Madrid game | Lamar Jackson: 967 yards, 6 TDs, 1 INT in five games (injured); Brissett now the likely starter | Bengals |
| Top receiver | Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins | Zay Flowers (leads Baltimore receivers) | Bengals |
| Tight end | Mike Gesicki: five touchdowns through Week 7 | Mark Andrews | Bengals |
| Running back | Chase Brown, with Samaje Perine in short yardage | Derrick Henry: about 4.2 yards per carry with at least seven rushing TDs | Ravens |
| Pass rush | Boye Mafe: five sacks through Week 7; team total of 21 | Baltimore front seven | Bengals |
| Secondary | Demetrius Knight Jr., Bryan Cook, Jordan Battle | Kyle Hamilton | Ravens |
Stats are drawn from team and league sources and move after every game.
Cincinnati Bengals vs Baltimore Ravens Match Player Stats at Quarterback
For years, this section was Burrow versus Jackson. Today the picture is more complicated.
Burrow’s Hot Streak
Burrow is playing at a high level, with 13 touchdown passes in a three-game winning streak that kicked off before the Madrid trip. He also has a history of strong back-to-back games, with four-touchdown efforts in consecutive weeks for the third time in his career. His pre-snap command and quick release make him dangerous against pressure, and his second-half surge against Baltimore showed how he adjusts mid-game.
Baltimore’s Moving Target
Jackson’s season totals look good on a per-game basis, but injuries have limited him to five appearances. Baltimore’s offense stalled with Huntley and then Fagnano, producing just 227 total yards against Jacksonville. If Brissett takes over, a safer, more methodical approach built around Henry and short passes is the likely plan. Declan Doyle’s offense leans on balance, so the quarterback’s job is largely to avoid mistakes and keep the chains moving.
The Cincinnati Bengals vs Baltimore Ravens match player stats at quarterback could swing wildly depending on who lines up for Baltimore, and that is the single biggest unknown for December 31.
Bengals vs Ravens Match Player Stats at Receiver and Tight End: Bengals Hold the Edge
Cincinnati’s passing attack is deeper and more proven. Chase’s 10-catch, 155-yard day against Atlanta showed his after-the-catch ability, and Higgins sits near the top of the league in receiving yards. In the Week 7 win the pair combined for 210 yards and two scores, which forces defenses to choose which star to bracket.
Gesicki is tied for the most touchdowns among NFL tight ends this season, and Sample and Erick All Jr. give the Bengals extra options when they want to go heavy. The Bengals vs Ravens match player stats at tight end therefore favor Cincinnati by a margin that would have surprised most analysts last year.
Baltimore’s best passing weapon is Flowers, an explosive receiver who thrives on yards after the catch and deep crossers. Andrews remains a trusted target on third downs, but he posted a career-low 422 receiving yards last season, and the Ravens have said they hope for a rebound. Rashod Bateman adds a second perimeter option. Without Jackson, though, the volume has been modest.
Cincinnati Bengals vs Baltimore Ravens Match Player Stats on the Ground: Henry vs the Bengals Front
Henry is the clearest Ravens advantage. At 32, he continues to carry heavy workloads, and he even took a direct snap for a two-point conversion earlier this season. Flowers described the “Derrick Henry effect” as the force that opens space for everyone else, and Baltimore’s offense depends on it when the quarterback is not a running threat.
Cincinnati’s answer in the Week 7 win was an interior wall of Lawrence and T.J. Slaton Jr. Chase Brown leads the Bengals backfield, while Perine handles shorter situations. If Cincinnati builds an early lead, Baltimore’s ground game shrinks. If the Ravens lead, Henry can grind clock and neutralize Burrow’s rhythm.
Defensive Player Stats in the Cincinnati Bengals vs Baltimore Ravens Match
Cincinnati’s defense has recorded multiple sacks in every game this season, and it sat at 21 total sacks after Week 7. Mafe, Lawrence and rookie Howell (while healthy) make the Bengals front a nightmare for a quarterback who is new to the system. Brissett’s mobility will be tested by that pressure.
Baltimore’s strength is in the back end. Kyle Hamilton is a hybrid defender who lines up everywhere, and Ravens game notes reportedly have a defensive back on pace to break the franchise record for tackles for loss. His ability to disguise coverage is the Ravens’ best weapon against Burrow’s pre-snap reads. Still, the unit allowed 35 points in the last meeting, and offensive struggles have left it on the field far too long.
Special Teams, Turnovers and Penalties
The smaller categories in the Cincinnati Bengals vs Baltimore Ravens match player stats often decide a close game.
- Punting and field position. Rehkow’s inside-the-20 accuracy gives Cincinnati a clear edge.
- Kicking. Evan McPherson drilled a 43-yarder in Madrid, while Tyler Loop handles kicks for Baltimore.
- Discipline. The Ravens entered the Jaguars game with among the most accepted penalties and the most pre-snap penalties in the league. A loud Paycor crowd on a Thursday night will make false starts even more costly.
- Turnovers. Historically, the team that wins the turnover battle in this series dominates the results. A Bengals series note from a few seasons ago showed the team that won the turnover battle going 33–5 in meetings where the margin was not even.
What to Watch on December 31
- Who starts at quarterback for Baltimore. The answer reshapes every other number in the Bengals vs Ravens match player stats.
- Cincinnati’s early pace. In Week 7 the Bengals trailed 13–0 at the half and still won big. Getting ahead early this time would break Baltimore’s formula completely.
- Henry’s touches. More than 20 carries means the Ravens are controlling the clock.
- Pressure on the passer. Mafe and Lawrence against a revamped offensive line is the matchup to track.
- Penalty counts.Flags have been a persistent issue in Baltimore.
Final Word on the Cincinnati Bengals vs Baltimore Ravens Match Player Stats
Right now the numbers point in one direction: Cincinnati arrives hot and deep at the skill positions, while Baltimore battles injuries and an uncertain quarterback picture. But this rivalry has always punished anyone who relies on trends alone. A Jackson return, a strong Brissett debut, or a few turnovers could flip the script entirely.
Bookmark this page and check back as injury reports, depth charts and the final Cincinnati Bengals vs Baltimore Ravens match player stats develop through the weeks ahead.
