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Bengals Smell Blood As Home-Opener Approaches For Ravens

By Samuel Njoku

The Ravens fell short in their game against the Oakland Raiders and have fallen into a dreaded 0-2 deficit to start the season. If Baltimore wants to keep their playoff hopes alive, they'll need to take care of business against an opponent who they've historically had trouble with.

Season Record

The Cincinnati Bengals are (2-0) to start the season and are currently top dogs in the AFC North. They went into Oakland and embarrassed the Raiders 33-13 before going home and winning a nail-biter against the San Diego Chargers 19-14.

Bengals on Offense

It's only Week 3, but if there is one team that seems to have it all together at this stage of the season, it's the Cincinnati Bengals. On offense, they appear to have one of the most dangerous units in all of football. Andy Dalton may not be Tom Brady, but he has the weapons to give any defensive coordinator nightmares. What has worked well so far for Dalton is his carefulness with the football. He has 5 touchdowns and zero interceptions to his name and it is one of the main reasons for their fast start. A.J. Green remains one of the most dangerous wide receivers in the league and you can believe Marvin Lewis will have a game-plan to test a secondary that was exposed by Oakland on Sunday.

Jeremy Hill may be a player to keep an eye on as he had two nearly costly fumbles against the Chargers. The Ravens have always been good with capitalizing on turnovers. If his fumbling issues continue, it could be the spark the defense needs to turn things around. The X-Factor for the Bengals is Tyler Eifert, who may be the only tight end on the planet who is playing better than Rob Gronkowski of the New England Patriots. Teams do not have an answer for him. You better believe Dean Pees is already hard at work figuring out a way to do just that. If the defense can't slow this prolific offense down, it could be a long day at M&T Bank Stadium.

Bengals on Defense

The Bengals have been solid on defense for many years under former defensive coordinator Marvin Lewis. But so far this year, the Bengals have been dominant. It starts up front with their defensive line. Geno Atkins was downright scary against the Chargers last Sunday as he bullied his way around the line of scrimmage. Cincinnati is one of the few teams in the league that can generate a decent pass rush with only four men. It's one of the reasons why Joe Flacco has struggled against this team in the past. The Ravens are hoping to get LT Eugene Monroe back to help protect the Ravens QB and force Coach Lewis to send more men and open up some passing windows.

Even if extra pressure is necessary, the Bengals still have a very formidable secondary. Leon Hall has been great in coverage so far this season, and it is expected that he will be in charge of Steve Smith, who went off against the Oakland Raiders to the tune of 10 catches for 150 yards.  It doesn't matter how old number 89 is, if the Bengals can't cover him better than the Raiders did last Sunday, they will suffer their first loss of the season.

Bengals Players to Watch

A.J. Green presents match up nightmares for any defense. He's tall, fast, and quick off of the line of scrimmage. It is imperative that the Ravens keep an eye on him at all times. Baltimore likely will have Jimmy Smith on him at all times. With the emergence of Tyler Eifert, the Ravens may want to keep a safety closer to the line of scrimmage. But if Smith can't handle Green during the early portions of this contest, expect them to have Will Smith blanket Green deep for the double coverage.

On defense, keep an eye out for Geno Atkins. His game against the Chargers cannot be replicated if the Ravens offense wants to put points on the board the way they did in Oakland. Justin Forsett is a great option in the passing game when things break down, but if the O-line struggles, they may need to keep him and/or Crockett Gilmore in the block leaving less options for Flacco to work with.

Outlook

The Ravens are (0-2) to start the season. They are desperate and essentially fighting for their playoff lives in Week 3. It'll be their first home game of the year and the players want to make sure the fans don't go home disappointed. The Bengals definitely smell blood, but beating the Ravens at home may be too daunting of a task.

Prediction: Ravens 21-20

Samuel Njoku was born and raised in Baltimore, MD and is a graduate of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. Samuel has covered the Ravens for Examiner.com since 2010. Prior to 2010, Samuel was an avid blogger and radio personality in Salisbury, MD. Samuel Njoku is a freelance writer covering all things NFL. His work can be found on Examiner.com. You can also follow him on Twitter @Ravens_Examiner.

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