Baltimore Ravens vs Cincinnati Bengals: Game Preview
In Week 8, both the Baltimore Ravens and the Cincinnati Bengals will be participating in their most important game of the season. And there is no question about it, at least up to this point.
It is important not only for division purposes, but also for confidence reasons. Winning a game like this could propel a team through the rest of the season. That’s what both these teams are looking to accomplish on Sunday.
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It should be a fun game to watch as well. Both teams have some hard-nosed defensive players and talented receivers. But where the Ravens have the advantage is at the quarterback position. I’m not throwing Andy Dalton under the bus here, because he is a good player, but Joe Flacco possesses something that Dalton majorly lacks, a good deep arm. Dalton fails miserably when it comes to throwing the ball 40 yards down the field or more, while that is Flacco’s specialty.
One advantage that Dalton has had in his career over Flacco is having A.J. Green as his No. 1 wide receiver. While Flacco has had Torrey Smith, who isn’t too shabby himself, no one is A.J. Green.
Speaking of A.J. Green, did you know that he is likely to miss Sunday’s game? If he does indeed miss the game, that will change everything. Green is the type of guy that can change a game instantly, and with him absent, the Bengals find themselves at a huge disadvantage to start.
With that being said, they will have to look to their other guys at the receiver position, such as Mohamed Sanu and tight end Jermaine Gresham. They are numbers one and two on the team in receptions, so they are very reliable targets as well. But it will be harder to make quicker plays without Green on the field.
As for the Ravens, they should just keep on doing what they have been doing. Steve Smith Sr., Torrey Smith and Owen Daniels have drastically helped Joe Flacco out this year in leading him to holding the best numbers of his career through seven games. And running back Justin Forsett; well, he holds the second-best yard-per-carry average in the NFL.
The Ravens also hold the top defense in terms of points allowed in the entire league, as well as the seventh-best running defense. As I said, if they keep doing what they have been doing, they will go a long way. And I think the same goes for the Bengals, only they have been struggling a bit in the last couple of weeks.
But that’s fine, because everyone will have some bad weeks and some good weeks, but let’s just hope that the good weeks for Cincy start in Week 9 and not in Week 8.