The Ravens will have their hands full as they travel to the Jungle to take on the much improved Cincinnati Bengals.  In the first game between these two teams (17-14 win for Cincy) the Bengals pushed them around especially in the running game with Cedric Benson.  That had to hurt the Ravens’ pride on defense as they are only allowing 87.6 yards rushing per game and 3.5 yards per carry so far this season.  Still, look for the Bengals to attack them with Cedric Benson (720 yards rushing, 4.4 ypc) to set up some play action passing.  The Ravens had better be blitzing often this week because if Carson Palmer has time to throw the ball they are in big trouble.  The Ravens are allowing 226.1 yards passing per game and they will have trouble containing Chad Ocho Cinco, Chris Henry, Andre Caldwell and Laveranues Coles. 

The Ravens will have to keep the offense balanced in this game to be effective.  They will be tempted to throw the ball more than usual against a Bengals’ D that is allowing 253.3 yards passing per game.  But, they also have to remember that Ray Rice is the best player on the offense.  The Bengals are only allowing 88.0 yards rushing per game and 3.9 yards per carry so Rice will have to get all of his yards the tough way.  Joe Flacco must be smart with the football as Johnathan Joseph, Leon Hall and Chris Crocker have 8 interceptions between them. 

PREDICTION:  BENGALS 20, RAVENS 17

The Baltimore Ravens  (3-3) are at home against the undefeated Denver Broncos (6-0) Sunday and are trying to break a three game losing streak.  The Ravens have been losing some very close games lately, as their last three losses have been by a combined 11 points.  The Ravens need to try and get to the Broncos quarterback Kyle Orton, who has been playing way beyond expectations this year.  He only has one interception this year, but as good as Orton has been playing he is still a vulnerable quarterback when pressured.  The Broncos have been doing a great job protecting him though, and the running game has been one of his biggest protectors.  Knowshown Moreno and Correll Buckhalter have combined for 694 rushing yards on 146 carries (4.8 avg), so the Ravens are going to need to slow those two down if they want to win.

The Ravens offense has looked pretty good, but have been falling short as of late.  You can’t really blame Joe Flacco though, especially in last weeks loss where he had 385 passing yards and two touchdowns.  The Ravens will need more of the same from Flacco, and Ray Rice will provide some relief in the running game.  Willis McGahee has not been playing well lately and they could use a good game from him in this contest.  The Ravens are much better than their record indicates, and I think Ray Lewis will have his defense ready to attack Kyle Orton.  They are also at home, so I think the Ravens are going to upset the Broncos in a close one.

FINAL SCORE PREDICTION:  Baltimore Ravens 24, Denver Broncos 21

The Baltimore Ravens (3-2) are facing off against Brett Favre, Adrian Peterson and the rest of the Minnesota Vikings (5-0) Sunday at the Metrodome.  Ray Lewis and the Ravens are very hungry for a win after losing two close games in a row.  The Ravens gave up their first 100-yard rusher in 40 games last week, and they do not want to let that happen again.  I am expecting the Ravens to stack the line and try and shut down the explosive Adrian Peterson who has rushed for 489 yards on 99 carries (4.9 avg) and has seven touchdowns.  That means they are going to force the 40-year-old Brett Favre to beat them, but Favre has been playing very well lately so the Ravens D will have their work cut out for them.  Favre is completing 69% of his passes and has thrown for 1069 yards with nine touchdowns and only two interceptions.  The Ravens need to cut down on their penalties too, as late-game penalties have cost them two weeks in a row now.

The Ravens offense needs to bounce back from last weeks poor performance.  Flacco only threw for 186 yards and had two interceptions.  Flacco needs to step his play up this week, which I expect him to do.  If they can establish their running game Flacco will have an easy time making some plays.  With that two-headed running monster of Ray Rice (5.8 avg) and Willis McGahee (5.2 avg), I think the Ravens will be able to eat up some yards on the ground, especially since the Vikings give up an average of 96 rushing yards per game.  This is going to be a great match-up and it is tough to pick a winner, but I will always take a good defense over a good offense, so I am going with the Ravens in a close one.

FINAL SCORE PREDICTION:  Baltimore Ravens 27, Minnesota Vikings 24

The Baltimore Ravens (3-1) are facing off against the Cincinnati Bengals (3-1) at home this week.  The Ravens are upset they are not undefeated, as a pair of controversial penalties cost them the game against the New England Patriots last week.  The Ravens are eager to bounce back and I think they will not have a problem with the Cincinnati Bengals, even though they have the same record.  The Ravens defense is too strong for the Bengals.

The Bengals will be looking to establish Cedric Benson and the running game, as he is averaging 4.4 yards per carry.  The Ravens are only giving up 59 rushing yards per game, so I think they will be able to shut down Benson and the Bengals’ running game.  That means Bengals’ quarterback Carson Palmer will have to throw the ball more, and the Ravens are great at pressuring quarterbacks.  Palmer has a big arm and has led the Bengals to two late game victories, but he has not been very consistent this year and will force things at times.  The Ravens could get themselves some points from the defense, as they are great at forcing turnovers.  The Ravens offense should not have too much of a problem with the Bengals D.  The Bengals give up 103 rushing yards per game, so Ray Rice and Willis McGahee will be able to get a lot of yards on the ground. The two running backs have combined for six touchdowns and 496 yards on 86 carries (5.8 avg). Joe Flacco has also been playing well for the Ravens offense, as the quarterback has thrown eight touchdowns and 1,103 yards on 95/151 attempts (63%).  The Ravens are the much better football team and should not have a problem beating the Bengals.

FINAL SCORE PREDICTION:  Baltimore Ravens 31, Cincinnati Bengals 13

The Ravens’ offense faces their toughest test against a Patriots’ D that is only allowing 262.3 yards per game.  This should be very interesting to see if the Ravens come out attacking the Patriots through the air as QBs (98.4 Rating) have had success throwing the ball against the Patriots this season. 7 players have at least six catches on the Ravens as Flacco likes to move the ball around.  That makes it very hard for defenses to double anyone.  The Patriots only allow 88.3 yards rushing per game but 4.0 yards per carry so the Ravens will also pound the middle of the Patriots’ D with Ray Rice and Willis McGahee. 

The Patriots realize that the Ravens’ defensive stats are skewed by the fact that Brady Quinn and Brodie Croyle started two of those games at QB.  In the other game the Chargers showed where the weakness is on the Ravens’ D and it’s at cornerback.  The Ravens like to blitz the QB but Tom Brady has only been sacked 1 time this year.  Randy Moss will likely have a huge game against the Ravens’ secondary which is allowing 231.7 yards passing this year. 

PREDICTION:  PATRIOTS 23, RAVENS 17