Ravens vs. Bengals preview: 3 questions for a big AFC North matchup

An AFC North clash takes place in the Queen City when the Bengals host the Ravens.

Oct 26, 2014, 11:50 AM UTC

Patrick Smith

The Cincinnati Bengals are in desperate need of a win, but it won't be easy against the visiting Baltimore Ravens who are riding a hot streak into town.

After a red-hot 3-0 start, Cincinnati has gone a month without tasting victory. A Week 4 bye was followed by a blowout loss to the New England Patriots on Sunday Night Football, 43-17. The Bengals returned home and battled the Carolina Panthers to a 37-37 tie in Week 6, and then were shut out by the Indianapolis Colts in Week 7, 27-0.

Needless to say, it's been a tale of two teams during Cincinnati's first six games, the latter being one that's been decimated by injuries. Though the Bengals will be fairly healthy against the Ravens in Week 8, they'll likely be without All-Pro receiver A.J. Green, who's listed as "doubtful" on the team's final injury report after he didn't practice at all this week due to a toe injury.

On the other hand, the Ravens have surged into first place in the AFC North after winning five of their past six games. They've done so thanks to their red-hot offense that has scored 29-plus points in three of their past four games. They're coming off a 29-7 drubbing of the Atlanta Falcons last week, and Baltimore is looking like a potential Super Bowl contender.

The two teams met in Week 1, a game in which Cincinnati escaped with a 23-16 win after Green caught a go-ahead 77-yard score late in the fourth quarter.

The three big questions that will determine this game involve a slumping Bengals team hoping to rebound against a surging Baltimore team looking to make a statement on the road.

1. Can the Bengals defense stop Baltimore’s balanced offense?

Baltimore’s offense has been built on a strong run game that ranks seventh in the NFL at 131.4 yards per game. On the other side, Cincinnati’s defense has been unable to stop the run this year, getting gouged to the tune of 146.3 yards per contest, the third-most of any team.

Don't overlook Joe Flacco and the Ravens' aerial assault that ranks ninth with 255.7 yards per game. The Bengals have been burned through the air, surrendering 270.3 yards per contest, the sixth-most of any team. This has been a balanced attack that few teams have been able to slow down. The Ravens are averaging 32 points during their past four contests.

Cincinnati is allowing 35.7 points during their past three contests. With Green unlikely to play, the Bengals offense has no hope of winning a shootout with Baltimore, so Cincinnati’s defense is going to have to be at its best this week if the Bengals hope to win.

2. Which RB steps up?

The Ravens rely heavily on their ground game, and running back Justin Forsett has carried the load for Baltimore this year. He ranks fourth in the NFL with 503 yards, and his 5.8 yards per carry tops the league. His seven runs of 20 yards or more are tied for first in the NFL

As for the Bengals, they've not had many players perform well over the three-game winless streak, but Giovani Bernard has continued to emerge as one of the NFL's rising stars at running back. He's accounted for 401 rushing yards and 177 receiving yards to go with four scores. In Cincinnati's Week 1 win over Baltimore, Bernard notched 110 all-purpose yards.

Which back has the better game will dictate how efficient his team’s offense operates.

3. Can the Bengals win without A.J. Green?

The Bengals haven’t won this year without Green in the starting lineup, and it doesn’t look like he’ll play this week. With him out, that means Mohamed Sanu, Brandon Tate and Dane Sanzenbacher will have to carry the load at receiver. Anything the team gets from rookie James Wright and recently signed Greg Little will be an unexpected bonus.

This Bengals team will have to get some production from their unheralded players if it hopes to best Baltimore. Sanu leads the team with 30 catches for 408 yards and three scores. The other Bengals receivers have combined to catch 20 passes for 243 yards and one score.

Not having Green is going to make life hard on the Bengals offense.