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Sneak Preview - SNEAK PREVIEW: RAVENS @ BENGALS

Posted On: 11/29/06
Written By:  
Tony Lombardi
SNEAK PREVIEW: RAVENS @ BENGALS
CONFIDENT CATS: Here’s Carson Palmer commenting on the upcoming game with the Ravens on Thursday night: "I don't think we need any extra motivation or to think about anything other than just beating the Ravens. We know how to do it. We've done it a number of times."
 
"They're going to see a different unit, a unit they've seen before in the past, but not this past game (Nov. 5)."
 
Former Raven Sam Adams reflecting upon the Ravens’ impressive showing against Pittsburgh and Round 2 of the away and home series against the Ravens: "That's good for them. Let's go. May the best team win!”
 
"The good thing about playing division foes is if you lose, you get another opportunity at them. And if you win, you've got to go prove it again. They're in that place where they have to go prove it again."
 
One player that doesn’t believe the Ravens can do it again is of course T.J. Houshmandzadeh.  "Deep down, we know we're better than Baltimore and they know it. We've got better players than they do."  Is it me or do players like Houshmandzadeh look like idiots when they lose to teams that they are supposedly better than?
 
Here’s Ed Reed’s rebuttal: "Keep your mouth shut, man. Play football. I heard it. It is what it is. The game speaks for itself. If you think you're a better team, then come out and let's play football, man."
 
"There is no other team in the league that I would much rather be playing than the Cincinnati Bengals," Reed said. "I'm sure they feel the same way."
 
THOSE CATS HAVE BEEN PURRRRRRRFECT since the last time the two teams met on November 5.  In their three games since that loss, the Bengals have scored 95 points on offense, averaged 439.3 yards per game and converted 43.2 percent of their third downs. Palmer has had a quarterback rating of 120.7 or higher in the past three games.
 
SO CAN THE BENGALS keep it going against the Ravens?  According to Bengals OT Andrew Whitworth they will have to be fully prepared to keep their momentum going against a tough Ravens defense: “As an offense, we're stressing to eliminate mistakes. Look back at Baltimore this whole season, and teams have just fallen apart against them. Fumbles, interceptions and penalties from all of the moving around and crazy looks that they give you, guys get out of position and get confused and then things happen. Our biggest thing is to eliminate the confusion and be prepared for all of their looks.”
 
SPEAKING OF LOOKS, here’s what USA Today’s Jarrett Bell sees when he looks at the Ravens: “Having Steve McNair is a big difference. You talk about a quarterback who’s played, who’s done it. I’m sitting here watching him thinking, ‘How could Tennessee give up on this guy at this point?’ I know you have to think long term to the future and worry about the salary cap and all that, but he looks like he’s got a lot of football left in him. I think the question with him over the past few years is how healthy can he be? If he can keep that going, which is going to be tough because of the type of player he is, you’re going to have something.”
 
ACCORDING TO RAVENS NICKEL BACK COREY IVY, the home crowd at The Vault brought a little something last week against the Steelers: “The crowd is definitely the 12th, 13th, 14th and maybe 15th man out there! They make it hard for the offense to communicate…Not every crowd is like the Baltimore Ravens’ crowd. They’re most definitely the 12th man.”  To catch more of that game and the effects of the crowd, tune in to Ravens Wired tonight at 10:30 PM on MASN.
 
WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES:  At this time last year the Ravens were 3-8.  Now in the Catbird’s seat at 9-2, the Ravens have a +6 win improvement which stands as the best in the NFL this season. Other teams that have turned it around include: NY Jets from 2-9 to 6-5; New Orleans Saints from 3-8 to 7-4; and the San Francisco 49ers from 2-9 to 5-6.
 
And there’s still more good news…The Ravens have given up just 16 sacks this season, tied for the 4th fewest in the NFL. Additionally, Baltimore has sacked its opponent 39 times, good for the 2nd most in the league. Those marks compile a +23 sack ratio, tying for the NFL’s best mark with the Chargers.
 
A RAVENS WIN IN CINCINNATI WOULD:
  • Clinch the AFC North title, the 2nd in team history.
  • Improve the Ravens record to 10-2 on the season, extending the team’s best start in franchise history
  • Boost Baltimore’s road record to 5-1 this season after going 0-8 in ‘05
  • Earn Baltimore its 4th win over an AFC North team, good for a 4-0 record vs. the division.
  • Make the Ravens 5-0 in November this year and 23-11 under Brian Billick during the month
FROM A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE the Ravens lead the all-time regular season series v. Cincinnati, 13-8.  Baltimore is 10-5 under Brian Billick and 1-0 this season.  Other trends with BB at the helm:
  • When leading at halftime: 51-7
  • When leading after 3 quarters: 55-6
  • When scoring 1st: 42-18
  • With a 100-yard rusher: 32-9
  • With a 100-yard receiver: 13-6
  • When playing at home: 44-18
  • When leading by at least 14 points: 45-1
SINCE LAST WE MET: In the 1st meeting between the Ravens and Bengals this season, Baltimore won, 26-20, at The Vault on 11/5. The Ravens jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the 1st 5 minutes of that game, scoring after recovering a fumble on the game’s opening kickoff, and then intercepting a pass for a TD on the following Cincinnati series. The Bengals, who gained 275 yards on the day, scored 13 points in the final 17 minutes of the contest to make it close as the Ravens throttled down on the accelerator.
 
IF THE RAIN COMES THEY RUN AND HIDE THEIR HEADS: The forecast for tomorrow in Cincinnati calls for a soaking rain that will taper off to an occasional shower by kick off.  Temperatures at kickoff should hover in the low 50’s.  If memory serves me correctly the Ravens aren’t exactly mudders.  They have lost to the Patriots (24-3), the Bears (10-6) and the Broncos (13-3) the last three times that they played in a significant rain.
 
TURNING UP THE HEAT: That’s what DE Trevor Pryce has certainly done as of late.  So far this season, Pryce has registered 8.5 sacks -- including 2 in each of the past 2 games -- and a team-best 49 QB hits to lead the Ravens’ strong pass rush. Over the past 5 games, Pryce’s 6 sacks rank as the most in the NFL and the yards lost (60) are tops in the league.
 
IF YOU ARE HEADING TO CINCY on a road trip keep this in mind.  The Bengals announced Monday that fans will be limited to one beer per person per purchase during Thursday's game, and sales will end at the end of the third quarter. The normal policy allows two beers per person per purchase. The new policy will be in place for all prime-time games.  Let’s hope the Bengals’ fans are thirsty when the Ravens have the football.
 
CATS LAND ON THEIR FEET after taking their spills earlier this season.  After tough losses at Tampa Bay (14-13 on 10/15), at home against the Falcons (29-27 on 10/29) and at home against the Chargers (49-41 on 11/12 despite a 28-7 lead), Marvin Lewis' troops rebounded with a win at New Orleans, thumping the division-leading Saints 31-16 (11/19). QB Carson Palmer produced a 127.8 QB rating in that contest, throwing 3 TD passes to WR Chad Johnson (190 yards).  The Bengals took the ball away from New Orleans 4 times, something they were extremely proficient at during their 2005 season. The Bengals then shut out the Browns, 30-0, last Sunday intercepting Charlie Frye four times and forcing five turnovers altogether.
 
SWISS CHEESE: That’s an appropriate description for the Bengals’ secondary of late.  Since facing the Ravens on November 5, the Bengals have given up 1,077 passing yards despite limiting the Browns to only 152 yards.  On average that’s 359 yards per game.
 
THE THREE AMIGOS: Chad Johnson, T.J. Houshmandzadeh and Chris Henry deservedly receive props as the most dangerous trio of receivers in the league.  But did you know that there are only 3 teams in the NFL through 11/26 that boast a trio of players who have at least 45 catches each. The Ravens are one of those clubs (TE Todd Heap, WR Mark Clayton and WR Derrick Mason), along with St. Louis (WR Torry Holt, RB Steven Jackson and WR Isaac Bruce) and Detroit (WR Roy Williams, WR Mike Furrey and RB Kevin Jones).
 
THIS IS HOW WE DO IT, DO IT: The Ravens have outscored opponents in every single quarter this season. And, thanks to strong total yardage outputs in the 1st period (810 yards) and 3rd period (835), Baltimore has been able to dominate its opponents when opening both the 1st and 2nd halves. Impressively, the Ravens have outscored foes 64-29 in the 1st quarter and 42-6 in the 3rd quarter. Additionally, the Ravens have outgained their opponent with 835 yards compared to 587 yards in the 3rd. The 6 points allowed and 587 yards permitted are the lowest figures in the NFL.
 
1-2-3-4 CAN I HAVE A LITTLE MORE? Dating back to last season Adalius Thomas has 4 touchdowns (3 FRs and 1 INT) tying him for the most by any defensive player in the NFL over that time. New England’s LB Mike Vrabel also has 4, but there’s a catch ... 3 of Vrabel’s scores came as offensive TD receptions, with his lone defensive TD occuring off an INT return.  By the way, AD has been clamoring for time as a tight end, something he did in high school.  Brian Billick is said to be considering it.
 
Believe it or not Brian Billick has 71 regular season wins in his head coaching career which ties him with Don Shula for the most in Baltimore football history. With a “W” at Cincinnati Thursday, Billick will become Baltimore’s winningest coach in regular season play. Currently, Billick is the all-time leader in wins with 76 victories (5 playoff) compared to Shula’s 73 (2 playoff).
 
Steve McNair has amassed 2,796 passing yards in 14 games against the Bengals since 1996, the most of any NFL QB over that time. McNair also has 20 TD passes, which ranks as the 2nd most (Tim Couch, 23) since ‘96. McNair is 220-for-363 against Cincinnati, good for a 60.6 completion percentage.  McNair has played in Cincinnati 6 times and has compiled a 5-1 record as a starter, winning his last 5. He has completed 87 of his 154 attempts for 1,001 yards, 8 TDs and just 2 INTs. His 88.1 QB rating at Cincy includes 57 1st down conversions passing and 5 plays of 25-or-more yards.
 
In his 5 games at Paul Brown Stadium, Jamal Lewis has averaged 6.1 yards per carry, his highest average of any stadium in the NFL.  In addition, Lewis' 17 carries of 10 yards-or-more are the most of any stadium in the NFL (with the exception of M&T Bank Stadium - 86), and he has broken off the 2nd-longest run of his career (tied with Cleveland Browns Stadium) with a 75-yard burst in 2004 (9/26).
 
SAM I AM: Ravens rookie punter Sam Koch has been a consistent performer this season, producing a 43.0-yard average. However, while this figure is solid, it’s not the stat that really stands out for the Ravens. Thanks to Koch and ace punt-team gunners like Ronnie Prude, Corey Ivy and Evan Oglesby, the Ravens have tied to down the NFL’s 3rd-most punts inside the 20-yard line through Week 12. Perhaps even more importantly, Koch has shown a knack for pinning opponents deep in their own territory. So far in ’06, Koch has dropped 9 punts inside the 10-yard line and placed 5 boots inside the 5. This has translated directly into 11 points (2 safeties, 1 INT for a TD).  To put this in perspective, Dave Zastudil pinned opponents inside the 20 only 13 times during the entire ’05 season.

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Posted On: 11/29/06
Written By:  
Tony Lombardi

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