The Baltimore Ravens take on the Cincinnati Bengals in just a few hours. Here are some game day bullet points to remember throughout the day:
Football Sunday is finally here. The Ravens have a huge game against the Bengals. Let’s take a dive into the series history as we start to look at the keys to this game:
- The Baltimore Ravens and the Cincinnati Bengals all-time series record is 21-21
- The Bengals have won six of the last seven game against Baltimore. The purple and black have not won in Cincinnati since 2011.
- The last meeting between these teams was in week 17 of the 2016 season. The Ravens were just eliminated by the Pittsburgh Steelers from playoff contention. They gave an uninspiring effort.
Related Story: Ravens vs. Bengals: 3 big things to think about
Key Players:
- The Ravens defense led the league in just about every statistical category in the preseason.
- The Ravens have a ton of youth on defense. Michael Pierce, Za’Darius Smith and Matt Judon are heading into their second seasons. Tyus Bowser and Tim Williams are flashy rookies.
- Cincinnati has a beleaguered unit on the offensive line. After losing two starters in the offseason, the Bengals hope the offensive line isn’t their biggest weakness.
- A.J. Green has a habit of making big plays against the Ravens. In eight games vs. Baltimore he has six touchdowns.
Related Story: Ravens vs. Bengals: 5 questions with Stripe Hype
- Joe Flacco will make his first appearance this season in this regular season opener. He missed the entire preseason with a back injury.
- Jaylen Hill is out and it doesn’t look like Sheldon Price will play. Expect Lardarius Webb to get most of the action as the nickel cornerback.
Key Factors:
- The Ravens are hoping they can run the ball better than they did in the preseason. Buck Allen averaged only 2.9 yards per attempt. Terrance West averaged 2.4 yards per attempt.
- This will be the first real look at the Ravens offense. They have always had several pieces missing during the preseason.
- One of the big losses this offseason was Kyle Juszczyk. Patrick Ricard, a defensive lineman will have some duties at fullback. Tight ends could also be involved. The Ravens loss of Juszczyk could be a big deal, he caught 37 passes last year,
- Pass protection could be an issue for the Ravens. The Bengals have some great defensive linemen including Geno Atkins, Carlos Dunlap and Michael Johnson.
- The Bengals will be without Vontaze Burfict and Adam “Pacman” Jones due to suspension. They are key members of the Ravens defense.
- Andy Dalton threw for over 4,000 yards last year. He had 18 touchdowns and eight interceptions.
Next: Ravens Round Table: Picks for week 1 game vs. Bengals
- Joe Flacco also eclipsed 4,000 yards but he averaged less than seven yards per attempt. The Ravens need to improve on both efficiency and the amount of big plays the rack up.
- A healthy Tyler Eifert could make a huge difference for the Bengals this year. In 2015 he had 13 touchdowns.
- The last time the Ravens won the Super Bowl, they beat the Bengals in the opener, yet that was at M&T Bank Stadium.