BALTIMORE —

For just the second time in franchise history, the Cincinnati Bengals are taking the field on Thanksgiving Day.

It's the fourth straight year Cincinnati's trip to Baltimore will be showcased in primetime and is the third straight year the Bengals travel to the Ravens for a short-week Thursday night game. Advertisement

This week features a pair of conflicting paths: On one hand, a renewed sense of excitement, with the return of the team's franchise player after nine weeks on the sideline due to injury.

On the other, the season is, essentially, over, with Cincinnati going 1-8 over the last nine weeks, all but squandering every possibility to play their way back into an otherwise winnable AFC North.

Case in point: This week's opponent.

After starting 1-5, Baltimore has not

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