NFL Preview - Baltimore (4-3) at Cincinnati (5-2)

By Tony Moss, Sports Network - The Sports Network

When they left town as 17-14 winners on Oct. 11, the Cincinnati Bengals certainly had the attention of a stunned Baltimore Ravens squad.

Should Cincinnati complete a home-and-home sweep of John Harbaugh's team at Paul Brown Stadium on Sunday, Baltimore might have to turn its attention to something other than winning the AFC North title.

A Week 9 win for the Bengals (5-2) would hand Marvin Lewis' club the all- important head-to-head tie-breaker against one of its main division competitors, not to mention a two-game lead over Baltimore (4-4) in the AFC North. Cincinnati already holds the tie-breaker over the similarly 5-2 Steelers thanks to a head-to-head win over Pittsburgh on Sept. 27, and will be attempting to complete a sweep of the defending Super Bowl champs next Sunday at Heinz Field.

Past their two-game gauntlet of Ravens and Steelers is a light stretch against the Raiders (2-6), Browns (1-7), and Lions (1-7), a period in which it will be difficult for Baltimore, Pittsburgh, or anyone else to gain much ground on the Bengals.

Not that Cincinnati needs a host of cupcakes in order to pad its record, judging by the team's strength thus far in the season's first half. Just prior to its Week 8 bye, the Bengals flexed their muscles with a 45-10 home beat-down of the Chicago Bears, helping to wipe away the residue of a troubling loss to Houston in the Queen City the week before.

The job of making the Bengals' three-game homestand a losing one will fall to the Ravens, who can also pull even with Cincinnati (and potentially Pittsburgh, which plays at 6-1 Denver on Monday Night) with a victory in Week 9.

Baltimore rides some momentum into its date with the Bengals, having handed the Broncos their first loss in resounding 30-7 fashion last week. The victory ended a frustrating three-game losing streak for the Ravens, one that included narrow losses to the Bengals, Patriots (27-21), and Vikings (33-31).

A Ravens defense that had been criticized for its struggles, particularly in the realm of pass defense, limited Denver's usually efficient offensive group to just 200 yards on the day. Greg Mattison's defense limited Kyle Orton and the Broncos passing game to just 152 yards on 23-of-37 passing, and held Denver stars Brandon Marshall (4 receptions, 24 yards) and Knowshon Moreno (12 total touches, 35 yards) firmly in check on the day.

Meanwhile, quarterback Joe Flacco kept up his brilliant sophomore season by completing 20-of-25 passes for 175 yards and a touchdown without a turnover on the day.

Rookie kickoff returner Lardarius Webb provided the most electrifying moment of the game, setting the second-half tone by bringing back the opening kickoff of the half for a 95-yard touchdown.

SERIES HISTORY

Baltimore leads the all-time series with Cincinnati, 15-12, but as mentioned, was a 17-14 home loser when the teams met in Week 5. The Ravens swept the home- and-home last year, earning a 17-10 home victory when the teams met in Week 1, and coming away from Paul Brown Stadium with a 34-3 decision in Week 13. The latter result snapped a three-game losing streak for Baltimore in the Queen City. The Ravens haven't won back-to-back games in Cincinnati since 2000, when they polished off a three-game winning streak there.

Lewis is 8-5 against the Ravens, the team for which he served as defensive coordinator from 1996 through 2001. Baltimore's Harbaugh is 2-1 against both Lewis and the Bengals as a head coach.

WHEN THE RAVENS HAVE THE BALL

The Ravens enter Week 9 ranked seventh in the league in total offense (378.7 yards per game), though they put up their weakest offensive showing of the year in the previous meeting against Cincinnati. Baltimore had just 257 yards and 12 first downs in that loss, and Flacco (1849 passing yards, 12 TD, 5 INT) looked mostly unwilling to throw the ball downfield. Only four of the quarterback's 22 completions in that game went to wide receivers, and top WR Derrick Mason (30 receptions, 4 TD) went without a catch in the contest. If the Ravens wish to avoid the sweep, wideouts Mason, Mark Clayton (23 receptions, 2 TD), and Kelley Washington (24 receptions, 1 TD) must get involved, along with tight end Todd Heap (27 receptions, 2 TD). Baltimore running back Ray Rice (525 rushing yards, 38 receptions, 5 TD) has had an electrifying second season, and was the Ravens' offensive leader with 28 total touches for 108 yards and a touchdown against the Broncos last week. A solid Baltimore offensive line has surrendered just 12 sacks on the year, and limited a good Denver pass rush to two last Sunday.