Marisa Contipelli

The 34 to 11 win over Detroit last week was the Bengals largest margin of victory since 2017. It was a game where the defense pitched a shutout through nearly three and a half quarters, and the offense was clicking in a balanced attack. Cincinnati will need that type of balance this Sunday against a 5-1 Baltimore team as the winner will take sole possession of first place in the AFC North. Here are five things to know heading into this Week 7 matchup:

1. Fast and Furious

Quarterback Joe Burrow continues to reach accomplishments only the best to come before him have attained. By throwing for 271 yards against the Lions, Burrow surpassed 4,000 career passing yards becoming the seventh Bengal to reach that feat. Additionally, Burrow was the fastest to the 4,000 passing yardage mark, doing so in just 16 games. It took Carson Palmer and Jeff Blake 18 games before they reached that number. When it comes to pass attempts to 4,000 passing yards, Burrow was the third fastest in team history. Boomer Esiason only needed 538 pass attempts, as Blake threw 547 times, and Burrow hit 4,000 in 553 attempts.

2. Good Company

Burrow threw touchdown passes last week against Detroit, joining Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Marino as the only first or second year players to throw two or more touchdowns in each of the first six games to start a season. Marino tossed multiple touchdown passes in his team's first 10 games during the 1984 season.

Burrow is currently leading the league in touchdown passes that have traveled 30 or more air yards this season with four. All four of those have gone to rookie Ja'Marr Chase.

3. Halftime Adjustments

As the Bengals coin toss luck continued into another game, so did their second half scoring. The Bengals have scored on their first offensive possession of the second half in five of the six games this season. The 27 points they've tallied in those games is second in the NFL only to the Los Angeles Rams who have scored 30.

4. Run Stuffers

The Bengals' defense is tied for fourth in the AFC with 14 sacks. Pass rusher Trey Hendrickson has accounted for 5.5 of those sacks, which is tied for ninth most in the league. The defense has also prioritized stopping the run. Cincinnati is fifth best in the conference in rushing yards allowed, and the 32 first downs by rushing given up this season is sixth fewest in the league.

5. Winning The Margins

Since 2010, 14 of the 22 meetings between the Bengals and Ravens have resulted in one score games. The turnover battle will be key. The team who has won the turnover margin is 34-5, and when the margin is even, Cincinnati holds the edge leading the series 7-4.