Bengals at Ravens
THE STORY: The winner will end the day tied atop the AFC North standings while the loser will drop into a crowded wild card race when the Cincinnati Bengals travel to Baltimore for a divisional showdown with the Ravens on Sunday. Both teams suffered tough losses last week to knock them out of a tie for the division lead. The Bengals lost 24-17 to Pittsburgh, which took a half-game lead in the division going into its bye this week. The Ravens fell behind early and saw their rally fall short in a 22-17 loss at Seattle. The Ravens lead the all-time series 16-14, but the Bengals have won three of the past four meetings. Baltimore won the most recent one, a 13-7 home win in January.
TV: CBS, 1 p.m. ET. LINE: Ravens -7, O/U 40.5
ABOUT THE BENGALS (6-3): The Bengals lost more than a game and the division lead against the Steelers, as CB Leon Hall was lost for the season to an Achilles injury and rookie WR A.J. Green (knee) and TE Jermaine Gresham (hamstring) suffered injuries that could keep them out Sunday. Green leads NFL rookies in receptions (41), receiving yards (635) and touchdown catches (6), and Gresham has three touchdown catches in the past four games. Losing two top targets would put a damper on rookie QB Andy Dalton's surprising season. Dalton has passed for 1,866 yards – a franchise rookie record – and 14 touchdowns with nine interceptions.
ABOUT THE RAVENS (6-3): Baltimore's offense sputtered for most of its loss to Seattle, as the Ravens fell in love with the pass. QB Joe Flacco was 29 of 52 for 255 yards, while RB Ray Rice had only five carries. The lone bright spot for the offense was the continued emergence of TE Ed Dickson, who set career highs with 10 catches for 79 yards and two touchdowns. The Ravens' defense has feasted on Cincinnati quarterbacks over the years – S Ed Reed has eight career interceptions against the Bengals and LB Ray Lewis has five, his most against any opponent.
EXTRA POINTS:
1. Dalton's 14 touchdown passes are the most by a rookie through nine games of the season since the NFL merger in 1970. He needs two touchdown passes to surpass Greg Cook for the most by a rookie in franchise history.
2. The Ravens are seeking their seventh consecutive home win. But the Bengals have won three straight on the road.
3. Ravens WR Anquan Boldin needs seven receptions to reach 700 for his career.