The Ravens have won five of their last six games heading into this big contest this Sunday.  The Ravens need a win over the Bengals or a Steelers’ loss to the Browns in Cleveland to lock up the AFC North and a first round bye in the playoffs.  The Bengals have won two games in a row.  They can get into the playoffs as a wildcard with a win over the Ravens tomorrow in Cincy.  The Ravens won over the Bengals 31-24 in Baltimore earlier this year.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Ravens have the ball:  The Ravens need to come out running the ball with Ray Rice.  They win when Rice is the focal point of the offense.  He will have to fight for every yard this weekend as the Bengals are only giving up 96.9 yards rushing per game and 3.7 yards per carry so far this year.  The Ravens’ O-Line is going to have to keep the Bengals away from Joe Flacco if they are going to win this game.  It is time for Joe Flacco to step up.  The Bengals are giving up 217.3 yards passing per game and they had big time trouble with Torrey Smith in the first meeting between these teams as he had 165 yards receiving on 7 grabs.

When the Bengals have the ball:  The Bengals are likely going to come out running the ball with Cedric Benson and Bernard Scott.  The front seven of the Ravens is going to have to step up and they likely will be up to the challenge as they are only giving up 91.8 yards rushing per game and 3.5 yards per carry so far this year.  The Ravens have a ballhawking secondary that will be looking to make big plays against rookie QB Andy Dalton.  Terrell Suggs could cause Andy Dalton to get a little jittery in the pocket in this game.  But, if Dalton has time to throw the ball….he has good weapons in A.J. Green, Jermaine Gresham and Jerome Simpson to throw to.

PREDICTION:  RAVENS 20, BENGALS 17

The Ravens are sending seven players to the Pro Bowl and only guard Marshal Yanda won’t be a starter!  It’s pretty balanced as three players are offensive and 4 players are defensive.  24-year old Ray Rice definitely deserves to go.  He has played in 15 games for the Ravens so far this year and he has carried the ball 267 times for 1,173 yards (4.4 ypc) with 10 TD runs.  Rice has also caught 74 passes for 696 yards (9.4 avg) with 3 TD grabs so far this year.  30-year old fullback Vonta Leach has been opening holes for Ray Rice this year.  He has played in 15 games for the Ravens so far this year and he has carried the ball 11 times for 34 yards (3.1 ypc) and he has caught 14 passes for 62 yards (4.4 ypc).  Finishing out on the offensive side of the football is 27-year old  guard Marshal Yanda.  Yanda has played in 15 games (all starts) for the Ravens and he plays with a nasty disposition.

36-year old LB Ray Lewis is still playing at a high level, when he’s healthy.  Lewis has played in 11 games for the Ravens so far this year and he has 88 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, 2 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, 1 interception and 6 passes defensed.  29-year old OLB Terrell Suggs is in the opposing backfield half of the time.  Suggs has played in 15 games for the Ravens so far this year and he has 64 tackles, 13 sacks, 10 tackles for a loss, 6 forced fumbles, 2 interceptions and 5 passes defensed.  27-year old DT Haloti Ngata has been a force for the interior of the Ravens’ D this year.  He has played in 15 games for the Ravens so far this year and he has 60 tackles, 3 tackles for a loss, 5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, 3 fumble recoveries and 4 passes defensed.  Ngata helps keep the linebackers clear to make plays.  33-year old safety Ed Reed is still playing well despite getting a little long in tooth.  Reed has played in 15 games for the Ravens so far this year and he has 48 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble, 8 passes defensed and 3 interceptions.

The Ravens have lost 24-year old KR/WR David Reed for the rest of the season due to a torn ACL.  Reed played in 11 games for the Ravens this year and he didn’t catch any passes but he did carry the ball 1 time for 16 yards.  He also had 4 tackles and he returned 18 kickoffs for 534 yards (29.7 avg) this year.  Reed has now played in 24 games in his first two years with the Ravens and he has carried the ball 2 times for 31 yards (15.5 ypc).  He also has returned 39 kickoffs for 1,150 yards (29.5 avg) with 1 TD return and he has 14 tackles and 2 forced fumbles.  The Ravens are really going to miss Reed on special teams going forward.

The Ravens gave the Browns enough rope to hand themselves Saturday and that they did.  Joe Flacco had a rough game as he completed 11 of 24 passes for 132 yards with 2 TD passes and 1 INT.  He also carried the ball 4 times for 30 yards (7.5 ypc) in this game.  Ray Rice led the way on the ground with 87 yards rushing on 23 carries (3.8 ypc) and in the air with 3 grabs for 48 yards (16.0 avg) with a 42-yard TD catch.  Rickey Williams pitched in with 45 yards rushing on 10 carries (4.5 ypc) and he also caught 2 passes for 21 yards (10.5 avg).  WR Torrey Smith (2 rec, 38 yards) and TE Ed Dickson (2 rec, 14 yards, TD) also helped out the Ravens in this game.  The Ravens finished up with 162 yards rushing on 37 carries (4.4 ypc) and they also completed 11 of 24 passes (45.8%) for 122 yards as they had possession of the ball for 32:18.

The Ravens played solid on D, as usual, in this game.  LB Ray Lewis (10 tackles), safety Bernard Pollard (8 tackles) and CB Jimmy Smith (7 tackles and 1 pass defensed) led the way for the Ravens on D in this game.  CB Lardarius Webb pitched in with 2 tackles, 4 passes defensed and a big interception.  The Browns finished up with 117 yards rushing on 25 carries (4.7 ypc) and they also completed 19 of 33 passes (57.6%) for 139 yards.  The Ravens are now 11-4 on the season.

The Baltimore Ravens are still licking their wounds after getting battered 34-14 by the Chargers in San Diego last weekend.  But, they are still winning the AFC North, so they need to take care of business against the Browns this weekend.  The Ravens beat the Browns 24-10 just three weeks ago in Cleveland.  The Browns have lost four games in a row and 7 of their last 8 games.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Ravens have the ball:  Ray Rice rushed for 204 yards against the Browns in the first meeting between these teams.  The Browns are giving up 145.4 yards rushing per game and 4.4 yards per carry, so look for Rice and Ricky Williams to get a lot of work tomorrow.  The Ravens are going to likely be more run heavy than usual in this game as they will be without WR Anquan Boldin (knee surgery).  Lee Evans will be starting in Boldin’s place, and this will give him a chance to earn some of the money he has been making this year.  Torrey Smith, Ed Dickson and Dennis Pitta will likely be getting most of Joe Flacco’s passes tomorrow.

When the Browns have the ball:  The Browns don’t have an offense that scares anyone.  The Ravens will likely load up to stop Peyton Hillis and dare Seneca Wallace to beat him with his arm.  The Ravens will get after Seneca Wallace in an effort to force him into making some mistakes.  The Ravens can’t afford to let Wallace have time to throw the ball, because he’s going to take some shots down the field to Earl Little, Josh Cribbs and Mohamed Massaquoi.

PREDICTION:  RAVENS 24, BROWNS 14

The Ravens will be without 31-year old WR Anquan Boldin for the last two games of the regular season due to minor knee surgery.  He should be ready to play in the Ravens’ first playoff game.  Boldin played in 14 games for the Ravens this year and he caught 57 passes for 887 yards (15.6 avg) with 3 TD grabs.  He has now played in 30 games in his first two years with the Ravens and he has caught 121 passes for 1,724 yards (14.3 avg) with 10 TD grabs.  30-year old Lee Evans will replace Boldin in the starting lineup.  He has been a huge disappointment for the Ravens so far this year.  Evans has played in 7 games for the Ravens so far this year and he has caught 4 passes for 74 yards (18.5 avg).

The Ravens have signed 34-year old kicker Shayne Graham.  Graham played in 1 game earlier this year for the Dolphins.  He connected on 4 of 5 field goals and all six of his extra points for the Dolphins as he racked up 18 points in that game!  Graham has now played in 138 games in his first 11 years in the NFL and he has connected on 212 of 247 field goals (85.8%).  He has also made 321 of 326 extra points as he has scored 957 points in his NFL career.  Graham will likely handle all of the kicking chores for the Ravens this weekend against the Browns as Billy Cundiff’s calf is still hurting him.

UPDATE:  (1/3/2011) – The Ravens have waived Shayne Graham.  Graham kicked in one game for the Ravens this year and he made both of his field goal attempts and both of his extra points.  He scored 8 points against the Bengals last Sunday.

The Baltimore Ravens looked terrible tonight as the Chargers took them behind the woodshed.  Joe Flacco didn’t play well as he completed 23 of 34 passes for 226 yards with 2 TD passes and 2 INTs.  He also carried the ball 1 time for 12 yards in this game.  Tyrod Taylor completed his only pass attempt and it was good for 18 yards.  Ray Rice led the way on the ground for the Ravens last night with 57 yards on 10 carries (5.7 ypc).  Rice also caught 9 passes for 55 yards (6.1 avg) in this game.  Rickey Williams pitched in with 20 yards rushing on 3 carries (6.7 ypc).  WR Torrey Smith (6 rec, 77 yards, TD), WR Anquan Boldin (2 rec, 51 yards) and TE Ed Dickson (3 rec, 36 yards) and 1 TD grab led the way for the Ravens in the passing game.  The Ravens finished up with 89 yards rushing on 14 carries (6.4 ypc) and they also completed 24 of 35 passes (68.6%) for 201 yards as they had possession of the ball for only 25:48.

The Ravens’ D played horrible last night.  LB Ray Lewis (10 tackles), DT Halota Ngata (8 tackles) and CB Cary Williams (7 tackles) led the way for the Ravens on D in this game.  The Chargers finished up with 145 yards rushing on 37 carries (3.9 ypc) and they also completed 17 of 23 passes (73.9%) for 270 yards.  The Ravens are now 10-4 on the season.

22-year old rookie WR Torrey Smith has been outstanding for the Ravens so far this year.  He has played in 13 games for the Ravens so far this year and he has caught 37 passes for 693 yards (18.7 avg) with 6 TD grabs.  Smith has also carried the ball 4 times for 39 yards (9.8 ypc) so far this year for the Ravens.  Smith has injected big time speed into the Ravens’ offense.  When Joe Flacco looks deep, he’s looking for Torrey Smith.  This was just another outstanding pick by Ravens’ GM Ozzie Newsome.

This is a big game for both teams tomorrow night in San Diego.  The Ravens have won four games in a row in which they have outscored their opponents by a combined score of 95-50.  They are tied with the Steelers atop of the AFC North, but they own the tiebreaker on them.  The Chargers have won their last two games by a combined score of 75-24, as they are clinging to playoff hope despite being 6-7 on the year.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Ravens have the ball:  The Ravens are likely going to feed the ball to Ray Rice in this game as the Chargers are giving up 128.9 yards rushing per game and 4.3 yards per carry.  If Rice is effective running the ball, which is likely, then Joe Flacco will have a little easier time throwing the ball.  The Chargers don’t have much of a pass rush, so the Ravens will likely attack them down the field with passes for WRs Torrey Smith and Anquan Boldin.

When the Chargers have the ball:  The Chargers are likely going to come out passing to set up the running game.  The Ravens have 45 sacks so far this year and Philip Rivers is a stationary target in the backfield as he often looks like a statue.  But, he can sure throw the ball when he has time to do so.  The Ravens’ safeties are going to have their hands full dealing with TE Antonio Gates over the middle.  The corners might also have issues with the very tall receivers of the Chargers (Vincent Jackson and Malcom Floyd).  If the Ravens are really getting after Rivers on the blitz, he will throw the ball to RBs Ryan Mathews and Mike Tolbert out of the backfield.  They are also good runners, but they will have to fight for every yard they get as the Ravens are only giving up 85.8 yards rushing per game and 3.3 yards per carry.

PREDICTION:  RAVENS 24, CHARGERS 20