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Zac Taylor goes back to Baltimore remembering the 2021 win that “solidified” the Bengals, as Al Golden tells his rushers to keep the quarterback in the pocket

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The 3-2 Bengals play their first daytime game in Baltimore in five years against a Ravens team without Lamar Jackson, and both of their coordinators have pointed at what has to change.

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WhyNFL Sports DeskPublished
Zac Taylor press conference graphic, Cincinnati Bengals, October 19, 2026
Zac Taylor spoke to reporters on October 19, 2026. Image: Cincinnati Bengals / YouTube

The Cincinnati Bengals go to Baltimore on Sunday for their first afternoon game there since October 24, 2021, and Zac Taylor says the 41-17 win that day still ranks among the biggest of his time as head coach.

Speaking this week, Taylor said that victory, when Cincinnati arrived at 4-2 and left in first place in the AFC North, helped a young team confirm what it already believed about itself. “It kind of solidified that for us,” he said. What he remembers most is the finish: the Bengals added protection, then closed out the game on the ground with a run of straight carries in the last 12 minutes.

A different Ravens team, and a different Bengals team

Only five players remain from that 2021 game: Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, Samaje Perine and Drew Sample. The opponent has changed too. The Ravens ruled out Lamar Jackson on Saturday with a high ankle sprain, so Tyler Huntley will make his third straight start. The Ravens are 4-2, level with two other division rivals; the Bengals are 3-2 and come off their bye.

Cincinnati last played on October 11, winning 31-24 at Miami. Burrow threw four touchdown passes, completing 23 of 32 for 190 yards without an interception, and Chase caught a 45-yard touchdown. But the defense gave up 217 rushing yards on 34 carries, and Miami scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns to make it close.

Golden’s point of emphasis

That is where defensive coordinator Al Golden has focused during the bye. He said the pass rush got loose in its lanes a few times against Malik Willis and let him escape, and that keeping the quarterback in the pocket and taking away explosive scrambles has to improve coming off the bye. Huntley is not Jackson, but Golden warned that the Baltimore quarterback run can be dangerous whichever of them plays.

Both teams’ final designations are on the injury report.

What comes next

The Bengals play the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, October 25, at 1:00 p.m. EDT; follow it in the Bengals-Ravens Game Center. They return home to face the Tennessee Titans on Sunday, November 1, at 1:00 p.m. EST.

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