AFC North Favorites, Ravens, Bengals, Off to Disappointing Start

Lamar Jackson #8 of the Baltimore Ravens runs with the ball against Maxx Crosby #98 of the Las Vegas Raiders during the third quarter at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Md., on Sept. 15, 2024. Rob Carr/Getty Images

The Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals are expected to battle for supremacy in the AFC North, but both teams are now looking to get their season back on track.

Both Baltimore and Cincinnati fell to 0–2 after disappointing losses on Sunday.

The Ravens were 9.5-point favorites over the visiting Las Vegas Raiders but lost 26–23 on a last-minute field goal by Daniel Carlson. Baltimore squandered a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter.

Cincinnati could not hold a late lead in a 26–25 loss against the two-time defending champion Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday. A pass interference penalty on Bengals safety Daijahn Anthony on fourth down with less than a minute left in the fourth quarter set up a 51-yard game-winning kick by Harrison Butker.

It’s still early in the season, but history is working against both the Ravens and Bengals. Only 13 of 131 teams that started 0–2 have made the playoffs since 2007, according to the National Football Post.

Ravens coach John Harbaugh is not losing hope, although his team is 0–2 for the first time since 2015.

“We’re going to play a 17-game season, and we will be defined by the next 15 games, so that’s going to be our objective—to play the best 15 games we can, be the best football team we can be,” Harbaugh said at his postgame news conference following the loss to the Raiders. “If we do that, then we’re going to have a really good season, have a shot to win a lot of games and get in the playoffs and make a run, so that’s what we have to do.

“Big picture—short-term—we have to go back and look at every little thing, continue to clean up the things that we know we can clean up, and get better at the things that make a difference in games,” he added.

The Ravens have reigning NFL MVP Lamar Jackson at quarterback and signed four-time Pro Bowl running back Derrick Henry this offseason. However, the Ravens offense has struggled to score points, especially late in the game.

Jackson threw for 247 yards with a touchdown and interception, which the Raiders turned into a touchdown on Sunday. Henry was held to 5 yards on seven carries in the first half. However, he managed a couple of long runs over the final 30 minutes and finished with 84 yards on 18 carries.

Chamarri Conner #27 of the Kansas City Chiefs tackles Erick All Jr. #83 of the Cincinnati Bengals in the fourth quarter at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo., on Sept. 15, 2024. David Eulitt/Getty Images

Nonetheless, neither player was able to carry the Ravens to a victory. Baltimore lost its 2024 season-opener 27–20 to the Chiefs.

“I believe we’ve got young guys on the team [and] on our offense this year,” Jackson said after the loss against Las Vegas. “We’ve just got to do what we do still because Derrick was running the ball tremendously today. He had a few bursts out there [and] a few plays that he burst out on, and [the offensive] line was doing their job. We’ve just got to find a way to just get the ball rolling and stay consistent.”

The Ravens play at Dallas in Week 3.

The Bengals are expected to be a force with quarterback Joe Burrow back in the lineup. He missed the final seven games of the 2023 season with an injured wrist.

However, the Bengals lost the season-opener at home 16–10 to the New England Patriots, who are expected to finish in last place in the AFC East. On Sunday, the Bengals had the Chiefs on the ropes until the final minute, when Anthony’s penalty set up Butker’s decisive kick.

Burrow played well against the Chiefs, completing 23 of 36 pass attempts for 258 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. Now, he has to find a way to get back on the rails when the Bengals host the Washington Commanders on Monday night in Week 3.

It’s the third straight season the Bengals have started 0–2, but they did make the playoffs in 2022–23. The rest of the coaches and players are confident Cincinnati will get back into the playoff hunt.

“I’m confident we'll be able to bounce back the right way and get ourselves in better shape coming into Week 3,” Bengals coach Zac Taylor said following the Chiefs’ loss.

The Ravens and Bengals are already two games behind the first-place Steelers, who beat the Denver Broncos 13–6 on Sunday. The Cleveland Browns are in second place at 1–1.

The good news for the Bengals and Ravens is that each team in the division plays one another twice, so the ground can be made up in the coming weeks.

“We definitely don’t want to be 0–2,” Henry said in the locker room following the loss to the Raiders. “We wanted to get off to a good start, but we’ve just got to keep working [and] keep having faith in one another. There are a lot of teams that start 0–2 and then finish the season strong, and we’ve just got to look at it that way.

“We’re out to a slow start right now, but we’ll just keep believing in each other and keep working and keep getting better, and the wins will come soon.”