The Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals face off on Sunday at 1:00pm in a divisional rivalry loaded with playoff implications. We might as well consider this a playoff game right now.
The Steelers are leading the division at 7-3 and the Ravens and Bengals are tied half a game back at 6-3. The winner on Sunday will be tied for the division lead and have the inside track for at least the first Wild Card slot, while the loser will be in third place and likely fighting for the last remaining wild card spot with the six other teams in the conference with 5 or 6 wins.
The game features two of the league’s best defenses. Although everyone is familiar with how good the Ravens defense is, they are actually ranked second and third in fewest points allowed – the Ravens have given up 152 points and the Bengals 164. Only the San Francisco 49ers have allowed fewer, with 138.
The Bengals offense is loaded with young talent, and the game could feature an interest face off of two first round draft picks, assuming Bengals first round WR A.J. Green starts. He hyperextended his knee last weekend against the Steelers, and missed the second half. He is a game time decision against the Ravens.
When the Ravens first met with their first round draft pick, Jimmy Smith (CB out of Colorado), defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano asked him, “Who just got A.J. Green?”
When Smith answered, Pagano said, “Yeah, Cinci. They’re in our division. We got ‘em twice a year. So you know who’s going on A.J.? Can you handle that? Do you want that?”
When Smith answered “yes” to all three questions, Pagano told him, “That’s why you’re here.”
Since this is their first meeting of the season, it’s the first potential chance for the two to face off.
Green has shown the talent he was drafted for, as he is leading the Bengals with 41 receptions for 635 yards and 6 TDs, and has hauled in some dramatic, acrobatic catches. Smith has yet to make an impact due to injuries that have limited him. He missed five games after suffering a high ankle sprain on the opening kickoff of the season, and they have eased him into the lineup, playing special teams and dime packages.
The Ravens are ready to get him on the field. “It’s certainly time; we got to get him going,” Pagano said. “He was our number one pick for a reason.”
Smith and Green faced each other once in college, when Smith was at Colorado and Green at Georgia. Green had a great day, catching 7 passes for 119 yards and 2 TDs. But none of those catches came against Smith.
With the two talented rookies set to hold down their positions for years to come, and face each other twice a year in the AFC Central, this could be the first chapter in a long rivalry.
