Bengals

When the Ravens visit Paul Brown Stadium Sunday, they will serve as a visible reminder of the Cincinnati Bengals' worst loss of the season. The Ravens walloped the Bengals, 44-13, in the first of two Monday night games on Sept. 10, one of two times this season that Cincinnati lost by 10 points or more. (The Cleveland Browns beat the Bengals, 34-24, on Oct. 21.) The 31-point rout was Cincinnati's worst result since Jan. 3, 2010 when the New York Jets beat them 37-0. That's why defensive tackle Geno Atkins didn't disagree with the notion that the 9-6 Bengals owe the 10-5 Ravens one. “Oh yeah,” Atkins said during a conference call with Baltimore media Wednesday.

It took just one big turnaround performance by the Ravens - and the fact that they finally clinched the AFC North title - to spawn a debate over how they should approach their final regular-season game against the Cincinnati Bengals. Should they go all out to win on the off chance that the New England Patriots lose a home game against the Miami Dolphins and squander the No. 3 conference playoff seed? Or should they take the pedal off the metal and try to make sure they are as healthy as possible for their home playoff opener the following weekend?

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.

There are a few compelling reasons for the AFC North champion Ravens to resist the temptation to treat their regular-season finale as nothing more than an opportunity to rest injured players and protect key starters. If the Ravens beat the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday at Paul Brown Stadium and the New England Patriots lose to the Miami Dolphins later that afternoon, Baltimore would be the third seed in the AFC. Should the Ravens remain in their current spot as the fourth seed, they would host a wild-card round playoff game against the Indianapolis Colts the following week.

The Ravens have won an NFL-best 16 consecutive games at M&T Bank Stadium, including the playoff victory last January. Here is how they've gotten to this point. Dec. 9, 2010: Ravens 30, Saints 24: Ray Rice gained a career-high 233 total yards and scored twice, and the defense contained Drew Brees' high-powered offense to beat the reigning Super Bowl champs. Jan. 2, 2011: Ravens 13, Bengals 7: Having already clinched a wild-card berth and the No.5 seed, the Ravens put forth a less than inspiring performance which was highlighted by two Ed Reed interceptions.

Sunday's second showdown against the rival Pittsburgh Steelers could also bring the Ravens their second AFC North title in as many years. A win against the Steelers at M&T Bank Stadium combined with a Cincinnati Bengals loss to the San Diego Chargers - whom the Ravens edged, 16-13, in overtime this past Sunday - would give the Ravens the division crown for the fourth time in franchise history. At 9-2 for only the second time in team history, the Ravens have a 97 percent chance to win the AFC North, according to CoolStandings.com, which uses statistics to simulate the NFL schedule and make projections.

Quarterback Joe Flacco has completed 14 of 17 passes for 92 yards and one touchdown en route to helping the Ravens take a 17-7 lead against the Philadelphia Eagles at halftime. Flacco, who is enjoying a 108.8 rating and has connected with eight different receivers, was a topic of discussion on two pre-game shows earlier in the morning. On ESPN's Sunday NFL Countdown, the analysts were asked whether Flacco is ready to be an elite quarterback. Here is what a few of them said: Former Denver Broncos linebacker Tom Jackson: “(The)

Every morning, Monday through Friday, blogger Matt Vensel will hook you up with reading material -- mostly on the Ravens but with some other Baltimore sports stuff, too -- to skim through as you slug down coffee and slack off at the start of your workday. That way he'll have an excuse to do the same to start his workday, too. Well, the Ravens couldn't have started the regular season much better than that, could they have? Monday night at “The Bank," the Ravens started the game with a 52-yard bomb to Torrey Smith and didn't slow down until they were beating the Cincinnati Bengals by four scores.

Anquan Boldin smiled when asked what he thought about Cincinnati Bengals strong safety Taylor Mays matching up against him on Boldin's 34-yard touchdown catch in the second quarter of the Ravens ' 44-13 demolition at M&T Bank Stadium Monday night. “We'll take that matchup,” the wide receiver said. Boldin & Co. took advantage of a re-tooled Cincinnati secondary that featured a starter returning from a season-ending injury, a new starting strong safety and a pair of new faces at cornerback.

Ravens safety Bernard Pollard might have been the best defensive player on the field Monday night. Pollard finished with only six tackles, but he helped strengthen a run defense that was having trouble against the Bengals. The Ravens did a good job of putting him near and around the line of scrimmage and Pollard was also one of the team's top pass rushers. A year ago, his first with the team, Pollard surprised a lot of people with his physical style. This year, he could become arguably their best defensive player.