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Baltimore Ravens should have chip on shoulder facing the Bengals

By Chris Schisler

PITTSBURGH, PA - JANUARY 03: Head coach John Harbaugh of the Baltimore Ravens speaks to the media prior to the AFC Wild Card game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field on January 3, 2015 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PA - JANUARY 03: Head coach John Harbaugh of the Baltimore Ravens speaks to the media prior to the AFC Wild Card game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field on January 3, 2015 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) /
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Last time I checked “Play like a Raven” didn’t mean give up on the season. This Bengals game starts the playoffs early for the Baltimore Ravens. This is more than a game though, it’s personal.

The Baltimore Ravens spent their last two season finales suffering losses to the Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals have beaten the Ravens nine of the last 11 times. Baltimore would have been a playoff team last year if they could have just stopped Andy Dalton and company on a 4th & 12.

The last time the Ravens played the Bengals was in the second week of the season. The Bengals won the contest 34-23 after building a 21-0 lead. They came out onto the field as if they were in a haze. When they seemed to settle into the game it was too late to mount a comeback. A.J. Green, who won’t play in the week 11 game, had three touchdowns.

Baltimore has taken a lot of punches from Cincinnati. If they aren’t motivated for this game, that would be very telling. The Ravens have so much revenge to dish out to the Bengals it isn’t funny.

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This is also what amounts to a playoff game for Baltimore. They are 4-5 and haven’t won for three straight weeks. Every game is critical at this point. While the fans may have thrown in the towel, John Harbaugh and the Ravens don’t have that miserable finish to the season in mind. The Ravens are actually in the mix for the playoff spot.

If the playoffs started today the Bengals would be the sixth seed in the AFC. They have a record of 5-4. The Miami Dolphins are 5-5, as are the Titans. The Ravens are very much in this clumping. If the Ravens go 5-2 the rest of the way, they have a very legitimate shot a playoff berth. That’s why this game is so big.

The way Baltimore is playing you can presume a loss against the Kansas City Chiefs and the Los Angeles Chargers. That’s their two losses. Then the Ravens would need wins against the Bengals, Oakland Raiders, Atlanta Falcons, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Cleveland Browns. It remains to be seen if the Ravens can be trusted to handle their business, however a win against the Bengals puts this possible future in motion.

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Just about everything you’ve heard in the past week (including our coverage) has been doom and gloom. Their isn’t enough optimism to go around in the Ravens Flock. If this isn’t the perfect time for an “Us against the world” mentality I don’t know what is. This is a time for the Ravens to play with some resilience. If they don’t have a chip on their shoulder now, then the doom and gloom sports talk cycle will continue.

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