So we all know that four weeks ago Cincinnati surprised the Ravens 17-14 in their Week 5 game. Carson Palmer had a late touchdown pass to slot receiver Andre Caldwell for the game-winner. Both teams are different four weeks later.
The Baltimore Ravens will win if Haloti Ngata is healthy enough to play and the secondary plays like they did last Sunday. They will also win if they continue to convert on third down. Joe Flacco has been great so far in the second half this season. I’m looking for Flacco to get the Ravens started early this week.
In addition, the defense will be keying on Cedric Benson this time. Benson ran through the Ravens ‘D’ and left a bitter taste in their mouths. Last Sunday, the Ravens seemed to return to form while dominating Denver. If they play the way Baltimore has come to expect they will win.
The Ravens will lose if Palmer has a good day against them. Palmer has dominated the Ravens since becoming the starter for Cincinnati. For whatever reason, Palmer is one of the few quarterbacks, along with Peyton Manning, Ben Roesthlisberger and Tom Brady, that the Ravens can’t seem to stop.
If the pass rush cannot get to Palmer and the secondary gets burned by Cincinnati’s fast receivers, this could be a long day. Benson is another player to watch. His career seems to have been rejuvenated since signing with the Bengals last season. If the Ravens focus too much on Benson, Palmer will burn them deep leading to a loss.
Overall, this should be a very fun game to watch. These AFC North division rivals are both very balanced and can score quickly. However, I am looking for a bit of a defensive struggle, similar to the one we saw in Baltimore back in October.
Prediction: Ravens 21, Bengals 17
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