Baltimore Ravens Win AFC North with Big Day from Ray Rice

Everything the Ravens worked for all season came down to this single game at Cincinnati. If the Bengals won, the Ravens would be a lowly wild-card team, forced to travel to Denver, Pittsburgh and New England to become champions.

The importance of this victory cannot be understated. The Ravens simply cannot handle three straight road games against elite competition. By winning the division and being guaranteed at least one home playoff game, the Ravens made their road to the Super Bowl much easier.

After several poor offensive performances in a row, the Ravens did not look ready to win against the Bengals. Without Anquan Boldin, the passing game was ineffective, and the running game could not carry the load.

Today, though, the passing game did just enough to complement the running game. Joe Flacco was accurate, but his receivers struggled to get open down field. Still, Flacco hit on enough passes to keep the Bengals honest through most of the game, and his several connections with Dennis Pitta were beautiful to behold.

Ray Rice was truly the star of the show, though, as he rushed for 191 yards and two touchdowns. These numbers are impressive, but they fail to reflect how important Rice truly was. With the Bengals rallying and the Ravens offense stalling, Rice drove a dagger into the Bengals' heart with a powerful 51-yard touchdown run. His heart drove the offense today, and it proved to be enough to win.

No winning effort would be complete without a stellar performance from the Ravens defense. While not perfect, the defense did an excellent job limiting A.J. Green and holding Andy Dalton in check. While Cedric Benson and Bernard Scott were able to rip off big gains, the defense did a good enough job of limiting them as well.

A key defensive play came from Terrell Suggs. As the Bengals were driving in Ravens territory, Suggs stripped the ball loose, and the Ravens recovered. The ensuing Ravens possession resulted in Rice's 51-yard touchdown jaunt.

The turnover was too much for the Bengals to overcome. Despite Dalton's best efforts, the Bengals were unable to come back. Lardarius Webb may have been all over A.J. Green on one of the last passes of the game, but the Ravens truly earned this win and the AFC North crown.