Bengals

Kevin Cowherd Ravens 27, Bengals 17 Joe Flacco loves the no-huddle offense - let's see if it scores points. Ray Lewis looks like the "after" shot in a Medifast ad, but the defense is still plenty good enough to intimidate opponents. Edward Lee Ravens 21, Bengals 17 The Bengals are rising, but they won't take off on the primetime stage in Baltimore. With the Bengals lacking a dangerous No. 2 receiver, the defense will contain A.J. Green, and Ray Rice will continue his success against the AFC North rivals.

The coaching fraternity can be a tight one, especially among those on the NFL level. But that didn't prevent former Indianapolis Colts coach Tony Dungy from lobbing a volley at Ravens coach John Harbaugh. Dungy, now an analyst on NBC's “Football Night in America,” questioned Harbaugh's decision to pull many of his starters early in Sunday's eventual 23-17 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. Had the Ravens (10-6) won, they might have had a chance to vault from the No. 4 seed to the No. 3 spot and tangle with Cincinnati (10-6)

Ravens 13, Bengals 7 Fourth quarter: 12:24 Cincinnati Touchdown - 11-yard pass from Carson Palmer to Jerome Simpson. (Clint Stitser extra point is good). Ravens 13, Bengals 0 Third quarter: 5:47 Baltimore Touchdown - 7-yard run by Ray Rice. (Billy Cundiff extra point is good). Ravens 6, Bengals 0 Second quarter: 4:46 Baltimore Field Goal - 47-yarder by Billy Cundiff. Ravens 3, Bengals 0 First quarter: 10:10 Baltimore Field Goal - 25-yarder by Billy Cundiff.

RAVENS PASSING GAME: Quarterback Joe Flacco ended a troubling late-season slump by tearing up the New York Giants last week, throwing for 309 yards and two touchdowns to go along with a rushing score. Perhaps the best development for the Ravens was that Flacco didn't turn the ball over and wasn't sacked. Flacco has won four straight games against the Bengals, throwing five touchdowns during that span. The Ravens are 11 points away from setting a franchise record for most points in a season.

Kevin Cowherd Ravens 20, Bengals 17 Driven by fear of tumbling in playoff seedings, Ravens overcome season-long road problems with workman-like win. Edward Lee Bengals 30, Ravens 21 With a first-round bye and at least one home playoff game at stake, the Ravens have plenty of motivation. But the Ravens have lost five of their last six in Cincinnati, and that trend won't end on Sunday. Mike Preston Bengals 21, Ravens 17 The Bengals have much more to play for, and the Ravens have not performed well on the road.

Quarterback D Joe Flacco threw four interceptions. Enough said. Running backs A Halfback Ray Rice ran 16 times for 87 yards, but he touched the ball only 8 times per half. When Flacco is having a bad day, Rice, Willis McGahee and Le'Ron McClain need to carry the load. Rice was the Ravens' offense. Offensive line C- This group is good when the Ravens run the ball and use a lot of play action.

The Bengals rode the Wayback Machine on Sunday, all the way to last season. Grumble about the tactics, if you want. The win looks the same. You say the offense looks dysfunctional. The victory says the offense was patient. You say Carson Palmer isn't using his new toys. The win says too much playtime isn't good for the bottom line. At least we can agree on the defense. The defense was magnificent. Having coached defense in Baltimore and faced the Ravens too many times to count as Bengals coach, Marvin Lewis knows how to beat Baltimore.

RAVENS PASSING GAME: The Ravens will unveil their new-look, up-tempo with quarterback Joe Flacco who had his best preseason as a pro. The Ravens finished 19th in the league in passing yards last year, but the addition of Jacoby Jones and maturation of Torrey Smith have them believing bigger things are ahead. (EDGE: EVEN) RUNNING GAME: Ray Rice had two of his best games last season against the Bengals, totaling 295 rushing yards and four touchdowns. He should be extra fresh having carried the ball just 10 times in the preseason.

Ravens 33, Giants 14Ravens 33, Giants 14 Strategy: Offensive coordinator Jim Caldwell finally put his creative stamp on the offense, orchestrating season highs with 533 yards of total offense and 224 rushing yards. That included an option pitchout from Joe Flacco, getting Ray Rice isolated against slower linebackers to good effect, and selectively targeting suspect cornerback Corey Webster. Getting  wide receiver Torrey Smith in single coverage against Webster was an effective gambit to gain separation.

Live chat: Ravens vs. Bengals

If the Ravens wish to leave Cincinnati with their 11th win of the season and a hope of leapfrogging the New England Patriots for the No. 3 seed in the AFC playoffs, they need to find a way to neutralize Bengals defensive tackle Geno Atkins. In just his third year in the NFL, the 6-foot, 300-pound defensive tackle leads all interior linemen in sacks with 13, which ranks fifth in the league behind the likes of Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt (20½ sacks), San Francisco 49ers outside linebacker Aldon Smith (19½)

Hours before being named to his second Pro Bowl in as many years, Cincinnati Bengals defensive tackle Geno Atkins took a moment to reflect on his first trip to the star-studded event in Hawaii. After completing a sophomore season that included tying Oakland Raiders defensive tackle Tommy Kelly for the most sacks by an interior lineman and returning one fumble for a touchdown, Atkins was looking forward to basking in the sun and the spotlight that accompanies being named one of the top players in the NFL. But long before he was to go, his coach gave him an assignment.

The Ravens run defense stiffened against the New York Giants' duo of Ahmad Bradshaw and David Wilson, limiting that pair of running backs to a combined 56 yards and just one touchdown on 12 carries Sunday. But considering that the Washington Redskins' Alfred Morris and the Denver Broncos' Knowshon Moreno had gained 129 and 118 yards, respectively, in back-to-back weeks, the Ravens know their No. 24 ranking in the NFL against the run still leaves a lot to be desired. Next up is the Cincinnati Bengals' BenJarvus Green-Ellis, who posted 91 yards and one score on 18 attempts in the Ravens' 44-13 rout in Week 1. With 1,094 yards this season, Green-Ellis has already surpassed his previous career-high total of 1,008 in 2010 when he played for the New England Patriots.

A few thousand tickets for the Ravens' wild-card playoff game will go on sale this morning at 10. The Ravens will play at M&T Bank Stadium on either Jan. 5 or Jan. 6 against the Indianapolis Colts or Cincinnati Bengals. If the New England Patriots win on Sunday against the Miami Dolphins, the Ravens will face the Colts. If the Patriots lose, the Ravens will play the Bengals for the third time this season. Tickets can be bought online or over the phone. There are no sales at the M&T Bank Stadium box office.

The last time the Ravens visited Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati, they needed to beat the Bengals to clinch the AFC North title. And the Ravens did so courtesy of 191 rushing yards from running back Ray Rice. So with the Ravens poised to return to Cincinnati again this Sunday, Rice relived the fond memories of that performance. “I definitely remember it,” said Rice, who earned his third Pro Bowl invitation in the last four seasons. “It was a great way to finish the year.

Kevin Cowherd Bengals 21, Ravens 17 Ravens are still banged up with nothing to play for except momentum going into the playoffs. Same situation for Bengals, but they're at home. Edward Lee Bengals 21, Ravens 20 Only the Ravens have something to play for - a remote chance to move up to the No. 3 seed in the AFC playoffs. But they haven't dispelled their history of lackadaisical showings on the road, and Cincinnati Bengals are an emerging team that is still rolling from knocking the Pittsburgh Steelers out of the postseason.

Kevin Cowherd Ravens 28, Bengals 10 Jekyll-and-Hyde Ravens revert to team that actually has a clue against a 4-3 defense. Edward Lee Bengals 19, Ravens 17 The Ravens need to rebound after that stunner to the Seahawks, but that won't happen Sunday. Mike Preston Ravens 20, Bengals 17 Ravens can beat the good teams, but struggle with the worst ones. Peter Schmuck Ravens 23, Bengals 17 The Bengals are a pretty good team and the game is at M&T Bank Stadium, so the real Ravens probably will stand up. Kevin Van Valkenburg Ravens 17, Bengals 13 If the Ravens continue to ask Joe Flacco to bail them out of games, they're going to remain inconsistent.

The last time Ed Dickson tangled with Taylor Mays, the Ravens tight end was on the receiving end of a blow from the Cincinnati Bengals strong safety that an official called “helmet-to-helmet with a defenseless receiver.” The two will meet again Sunday, but Dickson said he has no beef with Mays, who was fined $21,000 for the infraction. “I'm actually really cool with Taylor Mays off the field,” said Dickson, who has been friends with Mays since Dickson played at the University of Oregon and Mays played at USC. “I know what type of player he wants to be. He wants to be a hard-hitting safety and stuff like that.

Despite their many differences, the Ravens and Bengals can say they share one thing: their approach to Sunday's game at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati. Reiterating their previous stances, the head coaches for both teams said their approach to the regular-season finale won't change despite neither team having much at stake. "You have to" maintain the same preparations, John Harbaugh said after the Ravens practiced late Wednesday. "And that's the 46 guys who are active. They have to be a part of that.