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Sunday's matchup between the 5-2 Cincinnati Bengals and the 4-3 Baltimore Ravens has the potential to be one of the best games to watch in Week 9.
Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer is arguably coming off one of his best performances of his career, after throwing for 233 yards and five touchdowns against the Chicago Bears. The Ravens are coming off an impressive 30-7 win against the Denver Broncos, handing them their first loss of the season and ending their three-game losing skid.
A few weeks ago, the Bengals defeated the Ravens 17-14 after for their third-straight win against a division rival, to increase their AFC North record to 3-0. This time around, the matchup should be just as intense to watch, if not better. Here are a few factors to watch for in Sunday's game.
Ravens Want Revenge, But Bengals Have Won Seven of Last 10 Games
Sure, the Ravens may have swept the Bengals last season. In fact, the Ravens outscored the Bengals 51-13 in the two games they played against each other.
However, the Bengals are in a position to sweep the Ravens for the second time in three seasons. What's even worse for the Ravens is over the last 10 matchups between the two teams, the Bengals have won seven times.
Still, the fact that the Ravens were never losing until Palmer found wide receiver Andre Caldwell in the end zone with 22 seconds left in the game has to be frustrating. With the way Week 5 finished, why wouldn't the Ravens be hungry for blood against the Bengals this time around?
Despite the tough loss, the Ravens still believe they should have finished on the winning end against the Bengals a few weeks ago. They know how important it is to win Sunday and stay in the hunt for the AFC North title.
With the way the first meeting went, there's every reason in the world to believe Sunady's matchup between the Bengals and Ravens is going to be a dogfight and come down to who performs better in the fourth quarter.
Joe Flacco's Success on the Road
All the fans and analysts who said Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco would fall under the category of "sophomore slump" in his second season in the league may want to consider a second opinion.
Flacco has fallen nothing short of spectacular as the leader of the Ravens offense this season. In seven games, he's completed 66 percent of his passes, throwing for 1,849 yards and 13 touchdowns, one shy of his total from last season.
In Week 5, Flacco struggled on offense, throwing for just 186 yards and a touchdown. He also threw two interceptions to Bengals cornerbacks Leon Hall and Johnathan Joseph. However, his success on the road this season may be a reason why the Bengals defense needs to be extra cautious towards him Sunday.
In each of his three road games; against the San Diego Chargers, New England Patriots, and Minnesota Vikings, Flacco has thrown for two touchdowns and is averaging 278.6 yards per game. The Bengals defense is allowing 253.4 yards per game, which ranks them 30th behind the Atlanta Falcons and Tennessee Titans.
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