Cincinnati Bengals vs. Baltimore Ravens: 5 Things to Expect in Sunday's Showdown

Who would've thunk that this game would be one of the biggest ones in Week 17? Back at the beginning of the season, most people thought the Cincinnati Bengals would be long out of playoff contention.

Alas, New Year's Day provides this blockbuster matchup between two teams who have been featured heavily on the defensive side of the ball. 

Cincinnati is a "win and in" team.

The Baltimore Ravens can clinch the AFC North and a first-round bye with a victory.

With so much at stake on January 1, 2012, here's what you can expect to see.

Joe Flacco Will Be Completely Ineffective

It's certainly not been a storybook season for Joe Flacco, but he's been good enough.

Last time the Ravens confronted the Bengals, Flacco went 17-for-27, with 270 yards, a pair of touchdowns and an interception. Those aren't mind-blowing numbers, but they were effective.

Don't expect such a performance from Flacco this time around. It appears that the Bengals' defense is mostly back to full strength, though Leon Hall sits on injured reserve. It's been a season of inconsistency for the young quarterback, and it will continue this weekend.

He's not played well on the road all year, but the Bengals' secondary has also been beaten up at home. They're definitely due for a good performance. And who better to do it against than the man who struggles away from his home stadium?

Watch for Flacco to throw more interceptions than touchdowns and have no more than 200 yards.

A.J. Green Will Catch Multiple Touchdowns

If Cam Newton weren't having such a fantastic season, then both Andy Dalton and A.J. Green would be leading in the Rookie of the Year discussions.

The Baltimore Ravens haven't met A.J. Green yet—he was injured during the original meeting in Baltimore on November 20th. That is a huge part of the Bengals' offense that is missing.

I understand how tough Baltimore's defense is; but Dalton threw for nearly 400 yards in his first meeting against them. We can only imagine how well he'll perform with his top target on the field with him.

Look for Green to dominate the Ravens' secondary.

Ray Rice Will Accumulate at Least 100 Yards

Ray Rice is one of the best running backs the league has to offer in 2011. He's been able to run for 1,173 yards and 10 touchdowns.

That good performance is going to continue on Sunday, and Rice will be the Ravens' main offensive weapon.

Over the last few weeks, the Bengals rush defense has been diminishing; and while they were missing players last time they played, I've got suspicions that it will continue to fall apart.

Rice is one of the most versatile backs in all of football, having some of the quickest feet around. While he can't match the power of guys like Rey Maualuga and Domata Peko, he can certainly maneuver around them.

I wouldn't be surprised to see Rice get 125 yards or better.

Cincinnati's Offense Accumulates Close to 450 Yards

The Cincinnati offense ranks 24th in the league in average yards per game—that will change on Sunday.

Andy Dalton, as I mentioned earlier, has already proven that he can beat the Baltimore secondary.  Granted, if my memory serves correctly, Ray Lewis didn't play in the first game between the two teams. Nonetheless, I'll put my confidence (for once) in the Bengals' offensive line.

Dalton has a cannon and has been very accurate all year. Now that A.J. Green will be on the field against the Ravens, and Jerome Simpson is really starting to emerge, the passing game will be very much alive.

As for the running game, Cedric Benson is looking for revenge after a dreadful 41-yard performance against Baltimore earlier this season. Peyton Hillis ran wild against Baltimore last week, thus showing some weakness in their defense—Benson will exploit it on New Year's Day.

Cincinnati Wins, 24-20

There will be celebrations in Cincinnati, and not of the New Year's variety—the Bengals will be returning to the postseason!

This team was supposed to win three or four ball games, but can win 10 with a victory on Sunday. They're hungry for a win and are out to prove all of the experts (who are still counting them out) wrong. 

The defense shuts down the Baltimore offense and the Red Rifle proves to be too much for a stellar Baltimore defense. In the end, Cincinnati wins, clinching a sixth seed for themselves and knocking the Ravens down to a fifth seed.