Baltimore Ravens

Baltimore Ravens defensive end Dwan Edwards plans to appeal the $5,000 fine the NFL gave him for a hit delivered to Cleveland Browns wide receiver Joshua Cribbs on Monday night.

The Indianapolis Colts haven't lost in nearly 13 months, and Peyton Manning kept it that way by capitalizing on a controversial decision by the team's last opponent.

Baltimore Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs will miss Sunday's game against the Indianapolis Colts because of a knee injury sustained on an illegal chop block by Cleveland Browns quarterback Brady Quinn.

This is going to be extremely quick, because I have a lot of work to do, but today there’s some important news to post about. First off is obviously the contract Billy Cundiff signed with the Ravens yesterday.  Hopefully he will be a valiant replacement for Steve Hauschka. Second and last, The Blind Side, the story of [...]

First we’ll start with the news: Steven “Not Matt Stover” Hauschka has been released.  The kicker has been struggling and has missed two key kicks, one that would have won the Vikings game, and one that would have gotten the Ravens within one possession against the Bengals.  The fans have lost all faith in him, [...]

This preview will be a little off from the regular format for the sake of time, because I’m making this post only 2 hours or so before the game starts.  From the title, you can gather that this game will not be taken seriously by anybody not associated with these two teams.  The NFL will [...]

Maybe stumble is too soft a word, perhaps fell on their faces might be a little more accurate. The Ravens faltered in all phases of the game against an opponent that was more then ready to jump on the opportunities. This was a triple loss for the Ravens. They lost a home game, the ones you're expected to win, they lost a Conference  game, and most importantly they lost a Division game. All three are measured at the end of the season and the best numbers win.

I was most surprised by the poor showing on offense, and the apparent lack of urgency. Joe Flacco seemed lost at times and had maybe his worst performance since the first 3 games of last season. The offensive game plan didn't seem to make any sense. How can Derrick Mason not touch the ball?, something that probably hasn't happened since hit first year in Junior high school. How can Willis McGahee and Le'Ron McLain have only two touches apiece? Why wasn't the three headed monster utilized? Especially in the 4th quarter. What was Cam Cameron thinking?

Defensively it wasn't much better. They once again failed to provide tight coverage in the secondary, and couldn't generate a solid pass rush with their front four. At times the Bengals offensive line simply stuffed the Ravens defense, something we're not used to seeing.  Ray Lewis made a stupid play by committing a personal foul on Ocho Stinko. Maybe Stinko was getting on his nerves but you can't rip the helmet off his head and not expect to see the laundry flying. Dominique Foxworth had another poor outing, something I'll touch on later, as did Dwan Landry. Allowing Carson Palmer far too much time to find his targets will bite you every time, and he bit the Ravens defense on the ass in the final two minutes.

While the referees didn't cost the Ravens the game, they did have their usual number of blown calls and pathetic judgment. The pass interference call on Frank Walker near the end of the game was bogus, as was the call on Ed Reed for the same offense earlier. However the ref's attention didn't seem to be focused on the Bengals when Stinko pushed Foxworth in the back to prevent him from making an interception, nor did they see Trevor Pryce tackled to the ground by Andre Smiith as he was about to get to Palmer. And both of these happened on the same play. You be the judge.

The Ravens now sit at 3-2, a record shared with the Steelers and Patriots. Of these three I'd say at least two make the playoffs, if not all three. This loss hurt, but it isn't the end of the world this early in the season. If you remember the Ravens were 2-3 at this point last season and managed to make it to the AFC Championship game, so all is not lost. At least for the moment. 

 

This game will help set the tone for the AFC North this season. The Ravens are coming off of a heartbreaking loss to the Pat's, while the Bengals won out over Cleavland in overtime. It would seem to me that the Ravens just might be a little more then fired up for this game. The defense in particular hasn't been liking the way they've played and want to set the record straight.

Meanwhile Carson Palmer and the Bengals newly confident defense are feeling like they can conquer anyone after beating out the Steelers and the Browns. They are a better team this year but are they ready to take over the talking points for the AFC North?

 

Game Info:

Kickoff: 1:00 p.m. (EDT)

Site: M&T Bank Stadium (71.008) · Baltimore, MD

TV: CBS

Announcers: Gus Johnson (play-by-play), Steve Tasker (color)

Fast Facts:

-33.3 percent (14/42) of Baltimore's offensive drives have ended in touchdowns this season -- the highest percentage of any team in the league.

-Cincinnati and Baltimore are tied with three other teams for the league lead in red zone TD percentage at 66.7%. The Ravens have 12 TD's in 18 red zone trips, while the Bengals have scored 8 TD's in 12 red zone visits.

-Since 2003, when Marvin Lewis took over as Bengals head coach, the Ravens and Bengals defenses rank 1-2 in the NFL in takeaways. The Ravens lead with 205, and the Bengals are second at 198.

-Cincinnati has allowed a running back to gain at least 93 yards in back to back games.

-The Ravens have not allowed a 100-yard rusher in 39 consecutive regular season games.

Ravens Offense vs. Bengals Defense: After suffering a neck injury last week against the Patriots, it is unlikely that left tackle Jared Gaither will play this Sunday. If that is the case, Michael Oher will switch over from the right side over to the left as he did last week. He will have his hands full though, going up against defensive end Antwan Odom. Odom is tied for first in the league with eight sacks this season. Of Baltimore's 66 offensive plays last week, only 17 of them were running plays. They will need more balance if they want to keep the Bengals D in check. Joe Flacco and his receivers can only do so much when the opposing defense knows what you are going to do. Le'Ron McClain had zero carries in Week 4. Look for him to get a little more involved this week. Willis McGahee has been a touchdown machine. He scored in his sixth straight game last Sunday and now has nine TDs (7 rush, 2 rec) since Week 16 of 2008, the most of any NFL player during that span.

Bengals Offense vs. Ravens Defense: Quarterback Carson Palmer is off to a mediocre start, with a 75.2 QB rating, which ranks 24th in the league. He has six TD passes but has also thrown five interceptions. Running Back Cedric Benson ranks third in the AFC and is tied for fourth in the league with 367 rushing yards. He is averaging 4.4 yards per carry and has two touchdowns. Chad Ochocinco is the team's leading receiver with 17 catches, a 15.2-yard average and three touchdowns. The story with Baltimore's defense this year has been their vulnerability through the air. The run defense is as good as it's ever been, holding opponents to an average of 59.5 yards a game, tops in the NFL.

Prediction: The Bengals are a good football team. If it weren't for a miracle ending to their week 1 game against Denver, they would be 4-0. They squeaked out an overtime win over the lowly Browns last week, but have also come back after trailing double digits to the world champion Steelers. I wouldn't be shocked if this turns out to be a close game late. But I just don't see them finishing the job. The Ravens are a great football team at home. I don't see them losing, especially with first place in the division on the line. RAVENS 30 - BENGALS 21.

After a victory in Cleveland on Monday night the Ravens have a short week to come up with a game plan to try to stop QB Peyton Manning from exploiting their inconsistent secondary. The Ravens offense in Cleveland was lackluster and the unit is still trying to find consistency. Indianapolis has momentum after [...]

Reported by the Carroll-County Times Terrell Suggs has a slight MCL tear. This injury is similar to the one Pittsburgh Steelers safety Troy Polamalu suffered in the season opener and would keep Suggs out for a significant period. This injury comes at a crucial time as the Ravens (5-4) are fighting for a wild-card spot [...]

The Ravens signed Billy Cundiff to be their new kicker, the team announced Wednesday. The addition of Cundiff comes one day after the Ravens released Steve Hauschka, who missed three of his last seven field goals and had an extra point blocked. Cundiff, 29, has made 66 of 89 career field goals (74.2 percent). He last played [...]