Baltimore At Cincinnati
After blowing a loss against the Browns and a victory over the Steelers, Ravens are going to get another shot to win a critical AFC North road contest. Winning is important because a victory would give the Ravens a 2-1 division record and two of their final three division games in Baltimore.
The Ravens' loss to the Browns is explainable but it isn't forgivable. The Browns lined up with a 4-4 scheme and basically Kyle Boller couldn't beat it with his arm. He averaged only 5.03 yards per throw and had a 49.3 quarterback rating, second worst in the conference last week. Baltimore quarterback couldnt exploit weaknesses in the Steelers pass coverage, either - Boller was only 10-for-18 for 98 yards.
Now, he has lost his favorite target Todd Heap, who will miss two to four weeks with a sprained right ankle. Heap led the Ravens in receptions in each of the past two seasons and has a team-high 12 catches this year.
The matchup is interesting because both teams are banged up with injuries and both quarterbacks are young and in their second seasons. Kyle Boller has more experience than Carson Palmer of the Bengals but Palmer looks more poised in the pocket. Carson Palmer doesn't look like the usual second-year, first-round draft pick Bengals quarterback. Those quarterbacks of the past were inaccurate and scared, still reeling from horrible first seasons. Lewis was wise enough to give Palmer a first-year redshirt and let him learn from the sidelines. He's completing 60 percent of his passes and seems to be in sync with receivers Chad Johnson, his long threat, and Peter Warrick, his possession option.
The Ravens aren't even close as loaded with offensive talent, so they have to take ticks off the clock by running the ball with Lewis. Last year Jamal Lewis ran for 180 yards and a career-high three touchdowns. That was the Bengals' seventh straight loss in Baltimore.
Cincinnati bounced back from a loss in its opener to beat the Miami Dolphins 16-13, but the Bengals offense failed to reach the end zone, their defense blew a late lead and their special teams gave up a pivotal return.
Yet, the defense certainly shows resiliency. After getting pushed around by the New York Jets in a season-opening loss, the defense limited the Dolphins to 25 yards rushing and kept constant pressure on their quarterback.
On the other side, Baltimore has 13 sacks in its last four games against Cincinnati.
Coach Marvin Lewis is 1-1 against the team for which he served as defensive coordinator from 1996-2001. He helped the Ravens win a Super Bowl in 2001, when they yielded a league record-low 165 points. If Cleveland and Pittsburgh found the cure for Lewis than Marvin has it too.
This machup wont be a high scoring game. Nothing strange with the Ravens, isnt it?
__________________
www.sportfd.com
|