The Ravens? room for error is minute when they play the Cincinnati Bengals Sunday at M&T Bank Stadium.
Should they play like they did against the New Orleans Saints in last week?s 35-22 blowout road victory, everything should be fine. But if they play like they did in back-to-back losses to the Denver Broncos and Carolina Panthers, Sunday?s game will likely end in a similar result.
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“We match up very well across the ball, and everybody knows it,” Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis said.
The Ravens (5-2) hold a one-game lead over the Bengals (4-3) in the AFC North, a division Cincinnati won last year in impressive fashion.
“A win here gives us a win on Sunday,” Ravens head coach Brian Billick said matter-of-factly, not willing to elaborate on the ramifications of the game. “That?s all that?s got to matter [to the players] ? just get the win on Sunday. Everything else will take care of itself. Just get a win on Sunday. Our whole world is about that.”
Billick said he would not need to give his team extra motivation. This gamewill be particularly challenging for the Ravens defense, ranked 16th against the pass in the NFL, one above the Bengals. The Bengals boast a potent passing attack with quarterback Carson Palmer (146 of 232, 1,684 yards, 13 TDs) at the helm.
“[Palmer], Peyton Manning and Tom Brady ? all of them pretty much have got a deadly gun on that arm,” Ravens linebacker/defensive end Terrell Suggs said. “When you play some good quarterbacks like that, you?d better be fundamentally sound. Otherwise, they are going to have a big day against you.”
Palmer has three dangerous receivers in Chad Johnson, T.J. Houshmandzadeh and Chris Henry. Houshmandzadeh has found the end zone four times this season.
Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis said the Ravens, even with their big-play struggles, would be tough to crack.
“They are not allowing many people to score many points,” he said. “They are playing great in the red zone.”
The Ravens are far stronger against the run. Bengals running back Rudi Johnson has 552 yards and five touchdowns this season, averaging just less than four yards a carry.
“They have a great passing attack and a great offense over there, and we have a great defense over here. So we?re going to find out,” Ray Lewis said.
Offensively, the Ravens appeared to find a comfort zone with Billick calling the plays against the Saints. Quarterback Steve McNair threw two touchdowns and ran for another.
McNair, acquired in the offseason, said he has watched the Bengals-Ravens rivalry from afar, but appeared to relish his role in this edition.
“In the past, it has always been a good rivalry,” he said. “Now, with me being a part of it, it?s going to be even sweeter. They?re all about pressure and making you commit to mistakes and turnovers.”
