Welcome to The Wrong Read. This weekly article uses advanced team-level metrics to preview the week’s upcoming matchups. The goal is to try to understand how an upcoming matchup might play out in terms of each offense’s ability to execute their game plan. How successful will they be when trying to pass? How much will they be able to run the ball?

It’s impossible to answer these questions definitively, but by exploring the advanced metrics we can better understand the dynamics that might not show up in the box score every week. We can use these metrics to find hidden signal that could indicate how a team wants to play football and how likely they are to be able to play the way they want against an upcoming opponent.

The numbers below obviously can’t fully account for new or recent changes in personnel or injuries — in cases where that matters I’ll point it out. But we can still get a good sense of what to expect from each of these teams. I’ll highlight the most salient features of the matchup below each graphic. I’m changing up the format of the notes from earlier in the season, to deliver the most relevant fantasy insights in a way that might be slightly easier to digest.

One note on the images below: All rankings and colors assume the offense’s point of a view. So a No. 1 ranking in a defensive metric indicates they are the easiest matchup for opposing offenses to face. Likewise, a No. 32 ranking indicates a team is the most difficult matchup. This makes it much easier to glance at the images and see which matchups are most favorable for the offense.

Cincinnati Bengals at Baltimore Ravens

• The Ravens have the most efficient passing offense in the league, and Cincinnati has a generally very weak passing defense.
  
  • They get to opposing quarterbacks quickly . . . when they get there at all.
  • Cincinnati generally does a good job limiting YAC, but that task becomes more difficult against a Baltimore offense that ranks No. 1 in YAC over expected. If Diontae Johnson can become a more central part of the offense, it could create even more space for Ravens’ receivers after the catch.
• The Ravens also have the most efficient rushing offense in the league, at least in terms of yards per play and yards over expected.
  
  • The Bengals’ defense is slightly stronger against the run — they are coming off a game in which they limited the Raiders to only 60 total rushing yards.
    
    • A lot of that had to do with the score, however. It’s unlikely Cincinnati will be able to create as big a lead against Baltimore.
    • Nevertheless, Cincinnati does a good job of limiting explosive runs — only four teams are better.
    • The Ravens present a difficult challenge though — their offense ranks No. 3 in explosive run rate.
• Cincinnati will likely not get much opportunity to test new acquisition Khalil Herbert in the running game.
  
  • For one thing, the Ravens are better than any other team at limiting explosive runs and yards after contact.
  • They are better than all but one team at limiting rushing yards per play.
• The other reason the Bengals should lean on the pass is that Baltimore is vulnerable through the air.
  
  • No team has faced more pass attempts per game over the last six weeks.
    
    • While that is in part because the Ravens’ efficient offense forces opponents to throw, it is also because the Ravens are a top-10 matchup in most advanced passing metrics.
    • Their lone strength — limiting receiver separation — might not matter much considering how much time they will give Joe Burrow to throw. Only four teams get to opposing QBs slower.
    • One difficulty for Cincinnati is that Tee Higgins is listed as doubtful. However, we’ve seen Mike Gesicki excel in his absence, and only four teams have better TE matchups.