As disappointing as Sunday was in Seattle, the focus for the Ravens players and Coaches has already long since turned to Cincinnati this weekend.

The Bengals will arrive in Baltimore sporting a 6-3 record, and coming off of their own tough loss (24-17 to Pittsburgh).

Here are 10 Things to watch with Cincinnati:

1) The Bengals have outscored their opponents 212-164. They are 5-2 against the AFC, and have won 4 games on the road. Their Defense is ranked 5th overall (10th against the Pass, and 2nd against the Run). The Cincinnati Offense is ranked 24th overall (23rd Passing, and 20th Rushing).

2) Cincinnati had won 5 in a row prior to their loss against the Steelers. The Bengals have won at Tennessee, at Jacksonville, and at Seattle. Obviously the Ravens lost at each of those locations.

3) 2nd Round Pick Andy Dalton has had a very solid year at QB, and is creeping up on the Rookie of the Year ballots. Through 9 games he has a QB rating of 82.6, and has thrown for 1,866 yards with 14 TD’s, and 9 picks. He is completing 60.3% of his passes, and has had five games with at-least 2 TD’s. Dalton is currently 19th in ESPN’s QBR rankings.

4) Dalton’s primary target is fellow rookie AJ Green. The 6’4, 207 lb Green has 41 receptions for 635 yards (15.5 yards per reception) and is averaging 3.8 yards after the catch. Green has caught 6 TD’s on the year, and has 7 games with at least 4 catches.
4a) The other WR’s of note are Jerome Simpson (26 catches, 410 yards, 15.8 ypr), and Andre Caldwell (29 catches, 220 yards, 7.6 ypr).

5) One of the Bengals main offensive building-blocks is Jermaine Gresham. Gresham was a player the Ravens were interested with in the 2010 draft, but would be selected 21st overall by Cincinnati. After missing two games with a hamstring injury, Gresham returned for the Steelers game this past Sunday. The 6’5, 260lb TE has 4 TD’s on the year.

6) Andrew Whitworth does not get a lot of publicity, but the 6’7 335lb LT is pretty solid. At RT is 2009 1st round pick Andre Smith. The Cincinnati O-line has allowed just 13 sacks this year, tied for 3rd best in the league. The rushing attack averages just 3.8 yards per carry though, which is tied for 26th in the league standings.

7) Cedric Benson has 593 yards, and is averaging 3.9 yards per carry. After 28 receptions last year, he has just 6 so far in 2011. Benson has had at-least 15 carries in every game, with 4 games over 19 attempts. He has gone over 100 yards twice.

8) The Bengals have 25 sacks, good for 8th best overall. DT Geno Atkins has 5, and DE Frostee Rucker has 4.  Two other players on the D-line – Michael Johnson, and Carlos Dunlap have a lot of athletic skill.

9) In 2006, Manny Lawson was a 1st round pick of the 49ers. Against Pittsburgh, the OLB had 10 tackles and 1/2 a sack. Next to Lawson in the middle is Rey Maualuga, who returned for the Steelers game after missing 3 games with a knee injury.

10) In the Secondary, Nate Clements has helped replace departed CB Johnathan Joseph. The other starting CB has been Leon Hall, who has been placed on Injured Reserve with an Achilles injury. Strong Safety Chris Crocker has 3 sacks. After being drafted in the 2nd round by San Francisco last year, Taylor Mays was released and picked up by the Bengals this off-season. The starting FS is Reggie Nelson, who was drafted in the 1st round by the Jaguars in ’07.

Chris Stoner
Chris Stoner

Owner

Chris Stoner founded Baltimore Sports and Life in 2009. He has appeared as a radio guest with 1090 WBAL, 105.7 The Fan, CBS 1300, Q1370, WOYK 1350, WKAV 1400, and WNST 1570. He has also been interviewed by The Baltimore Sun, Baltimore Business Journal, and PressBox (TV). As Owner, his responsibilities include serving as the Managing Editor, Publicist, & Sales Director.

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