For the Ravens' defense, facing Joe Burrow last month was almost like a trip to the dentist. They had smiles when it ended, but the process was painful.
Burrow threw five touchdown passes against Baltimore in Week 5, yet the Ravens' offense carried them to a 41-38 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals in overtime. With Burrow coming to town for Thursday night's rematch at M&T Bank Stadium, Marlon Humphrey says Baltimore's defense is motivated to keep Burrow from bombarding them again.
"We felt like we should have lost," said Humphrey, who made a crucial fourth-quarter interception against Burrow that helped the Ravens force overtime last month.
"We won the game, but we did not play well, especially the secondary alone. Like I said, there were a lot of contested catches, but we allowed big plays – too many big plays – so we're hoping to try to limit the passing attack and get going."
Pass defense has been an issue for the Ravens all season. Despite a 41-10 victory over the Denver Broncos in Week 9, Baltimore remains last in the NFL against the pass entering Week 10.
The Ravens' defense has prideful players who don't like being at the bottom of any statistical category.
"As Kyle Van Noy said, 'He ain't finish last in nothing,'" Humphrey said. "With that (pass game ranking) being 32, that's not something we like. That's not something we want to be, and it's always a tough challenge, but I think we have the guys for the job, and we're going to keep working at it – keep working at it all the way up until game time – and then let it loose Thursday night."
Burrow certainly has been letting it loose. He's coming off a sizzling performance in Week 9 when he threw five touchdowns and for 251 yards during a 41-24 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders.
With the Bengals (4-5) badly needing a victory and Burrow clearly in rhythm, the Ravens expect to see Cincinnati's offense at its best. All-Pro safety Kyle Hamilton said the defense must perform much better than it did last month in Cincinnati to keep Burrow in check.
"From a defensive perspective – obviously, we won that game, but I feel like the offense kind of willed us to that win," Hamilton said. "We're not proud of that game, and it's something that we learned from, and we want to come back and improve on, and we have the opportunity to do that and right our wrong.
"Joe was pretty comfortable, for the most part, the whole game, and he's pretty dangerous when you let him get that comfortable. Communication – all that stuff – we've improved on, [but we] still have a ways to go. … I'm excited to see what we do on Thursday."
Ja'Marr Chase was the receiver who hurt Baltimore most in Week 5 (10 catches, 193 yards, two touchdowns), displaying his explosive run-after-catch ability on a 70-yard touchdown play.
Tee Higgins, who also had a huge day against the Ravens last month (nine catches, 83 yards, two touchdowns), did not practice Monday and Tuesday, putting his availability for Thursday night in question.
However, the Ravens must also be wary of Bengals tight end Mike Gesicki, who had two touchdown catches and 100 yards receiving against the Raiders. Burrow has great trust in his accuracy and often places throws where his receivers can make plays on the ball, even when covered. It will be important for the Ravens to win battles for the football when Burrow throws into tight windows.
"Last game, there were a lot of contested catches, and it seemed like they came down with a lot of those," Humphrey said. "You know what you're going to get with Joe. He's an elite quarterback, so it's always a tough challenge."
Humphrey is glad to have another shot at Cincinnati, a chance to show that Baltimore's pass defense is truly headed in the right direction. Burrow can take advantage of even the smallest mistake in coverage, but Humphrey believes the Ravens' pass defense is becoming more cohesive.
"We just have to keep chasing the details," Humphrey said. "We have to do it exactly how we're coached, exactly how we're doing it in practice, to get it to go in the game. We can't practice it all week this way – coach this way – and then get in the game, and it's not exactly how you just practiced it.
"So many times this year, just one guy is not exactly where he's supposed to be, and that's where it's been hit. It's those little, tiny details that's made everybody tighten up their approach, tighten up their mindset. … It makes you focus, and that's what we need."
