At 4-5, Bengals believe they are still a playoff team as stretch run starts against the Ravens

CINCINNATI (AP) — With a healthy Joe Burrow, the Cincinnati Bengals were expected to be contenders in the AFC North.

Instead, they’ve been disappointing, clawing and scratching just to get to 4-5 at the halfway point. Their four victories have all come against sub-.500 teams that have a current combined record of 8-28.

Cincinnati has played two divisional games, losing to the Ravens by three points and beating the Cleveland Browns by a touchdown. The Bengals still have to play the Ravens (6-3) on Thursday, the Browns (2-7) again the week before Christmas and the division-leading Steelers (6-2) twice.

In other words, winning the AFC North or even backing into the playoffs as a wild card is going to be a lot tougher than outplaying some of the league’s weaker teams. Of Cincinnati’s remaining eight games, five are against teams with winning records.

Burrow firmly believes the Bengals can still win enough games to get into the playoffs. He figures it will take 10 wins to do that, so Cincinnati has to win six of the last eight.

“I’m going to be hard on myself,” he said. “I’m going to be hard on us to execute the way that I feel like we need to.”

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What’s working

Cincinnati ended the first half of the season on a high note. The offense and defense were both dominant in Sunday’s 41-24 win over the Las Vegas Raiders. Burrow tied a career high with five touchdown passes, defensive end Trey Hendrickson had four sacks, tight end Mike Gesicki caught two touchdown passes and Cincinnati finally got its running game out of the mud, with Chase Brown rushing for a career-high 120 yards. ... Star WR Ja’Marr Chase has been as reliable as ever. He leads the NFL with seven touchdown catches, is second with 717 receiving yards and is tied for third with 55 catches.

What needs help

The Raiders are among the worst in the league at stopping the run, and it remains to be seen whether the Bengals can sustain Sunday’s effort against better teams, especially with starting left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. out with an injury. Cincinnati came into the Raiders game averaging just under 90 yards per game on the ground. Only four NFL teams were worse. Chase Brown got to be the No. 1 guy Sunday with his backfield partner Zack Moss out with a neck injury.

Stock up

With Hendrickson’s four sacks, he became the NFL leader with 11, two more than Dexter Lawrence of the Giants. Hendrickson also was credited with seven QB hurries against Las Vegas.

“You know, if they gave out midseason awards, that would be something you could get excited about. But they don’t, so it’s on to the next challenge, and that’s the Ravens,” Hendrickson said.

Gesicki caught his first touchdown pass as a Bengal and the first since last Christmas Eve, when he played for the Patriots. He has become an important target for Burrow with receiver Tee Higgins sidelined. Gesicki has 30 catches for 353 yards and caught Burrow’s last two TD passes Sunday.

“He makes contested catches, and he continues to show why I have so much trust in him,” Burrow said. “He continues to make plays for us. So, his role is going to continue to increase.”

Stock down

Rookie WR Jermaine Burton somehow got himself on coach Zac Taylor’s naughty list. Expected to be part of the game plan Sunday in place of Higgins, Burton instead was a healthy scratch. Taylor didn’t provide details, but said benching him was “absolutely the right decision.”

Injuries

Higgins missed his second game with a quad injury after missing two earlier in the year with a hamstring issue. ... Orlando Brown has a right knee injury. ... TE Erick All Jr. suffered a knee injury Sunday, and DT B.J. Hill left with a hip injury. None of them practiced Monday.

Key number

20 — TD passes for Burrow, tied for second best in the NFL with the Ravens’ Lamar Jackson. They are one behind the Bucs’ Baker Mayfield.

Next steps

Thursday’s divisional matchup with the host Ravens (6-3) is as close to a must-win as the Bengals have had. They’ve already lost to the Ravens once, a 41-38 shootout in overtime on Oct. 6. A win over Baltimore would be a supreme confidence builder, especially since the Bengals finished 1-5 against divisional opponents last season.

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