Bengals vs. Ravens: What's the Game Plan for Baltimore?

The Baltimore Ravens will be in must-win mode when they host the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 3. 

Baltimore is 0-2 after last week's 37-33 loss to the Oakland Raiders, marking the first 0-2 start under John Harbaugh since he became head coach in 2008.

Since then, the Ravens have been to the playoffs in all but one season under Harbaugh. If the Ravens lose Sunday to the Bengals, this will likely be the second time they don't make the postseason under Harbaugh.

So how is Baltimore going to beat Cincinnati and claim its first win of 2015? Here's the game plan the Ravens should have in order to do so.

Offensive Game Plan

The Ravens had their most success in 2014 when they were able to run the ball effectively. In games in which Baltimore ran for 100 or more yards as a team, it went 9-2.

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Even those two losses saw Baltimore leading in the final minutes before its defense allowed the game-winning score. In games in which the Ravens failed to top 100 yards, they went 1-4 with the lone win coming against the 3-13 Jacksonville Jaguars.

Needless to say, running the ball is what made Baltimore successful last year, but it ranks 21st in rushing offense coming into Week 2. Making the ground game even more important this week is that it's the best way to beat the Bengals defense.

Entering Week 2, Cincinnati ranks 28th in yards per rushing attempt allowed (4.7). It gives up a lot of big gains on the ground, and this is where Baltimore's enigmatic offense needs to attack early and often.

The key to Baltimore's ground game will be All-Pro guard Marshal Yanda. He became the best offensive guard in football last year en route to being named to the fifth-best NFL player by Pro Football Focus.  

Yanda's 34.2 run-blocking grade was almost double what any other guard recorded in 2014 as he paved the way for Baltimore's eighth-ranked rushing offense. Yanda playing well is key to Baltimore's ground game being efficient, which in turn is critical to getting this win over Cincinnati. 

Defensive Game Plan

It's pretty simple for Baltimore's defensive game plan: Make Andy Dalton beat you. 

In eight career games against Baltimore, Dalton has thrown 11 interceptions versus just seven touchdowns. He's also been sacked 16 times, fumbled three times and lost two of them. 

Dalton simply cannot handle the Ravens defense, especially when forced to throw often. In games against Baltimore in which Dalton attempted 37 or more passes, he's 1-4 against it.

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However, when the Bengals offense is more balanced and Dalton only throws it 36 times or less, he's 3-0 against the Ravens. This is a clear example of why Baltimore needs to force Dalton to beat it.

Doing so will require Baltimore to shut down the Bengals ground game. The Ravens currently rank ninth in rushing defense in large part because of their dominant front seven.

Even after losing star pass-rusher Terrell Suggs, this is still one of the better front sevens of any NFL team. C.J. Mosley and Daryl Smith are arguably the best inside linebacker duo there is. 

Nose tackle Brandon Williams is a load in the middle and is quietly emerging as one of the best interior tackles in football. Williams currently ranks 17th out of 92 interior tackles in Pro Football Focus' ratings. 

This, after Williams ranked 10th out of 132 interior tackles in 2014. As long as Williams can hold his gap and keep Bengals lineman off Ravens linebackers, Baltimore should be able to shut down most running plays.

That then forces Dalton to make more plays in the passing game, and as history shows, he's prone to making mistakes against Baltimore. If the Ravens can force him into enough bad plays and turnovers, they can win this game and get their first win of 2015. 

Key One-On-One Matchups

RB Justin Forsett vs. WLB Vincent Rey

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As mentioned above, the Ravens need to attack the Bengals with their rushing attack early and often to win this game. The biggest mismatch Baltimore can exploit there is with Justin Forsett going against weak-side linebacker Vincent Rey.

With star linebacker Vontaze Burfict currently on the PUP list, Rey is the one starting in his place on the weak side now. The Bengals defense is built to get the weak-side backer making most of the tackles. 

That was the case with Rey last year as he led the Bengals with 121 total tackles. He's currently second on the team with 13 tackles through two games, though he's given up a lot of big plays due to missed tackles. 

According to Pro Football Focus, Rey has missed five tackles in two games, the most of any 4-3 outside linebacker. He's the player Baltimore needs to exploit for big plays, and it has the perfect running back to do so in Forsett. 

Against the Raiders last week, Forsett forced six missed tackles, the third most of any back in Week 2, per PFF. He'll have several one-on-one opportunities against Rey this week. How often Forsett makes Rey miss will play a big role in how effective Baltimore's ground game is. 

RT Ricky Wagner vs. DE Carlos Dunlap

The Ravens offensive line will have a tough test against a strong Bengals defensive line. Veteran pass-rusher Carlos Dunlap has quietly emerged into one of the NFL's better defensive ends over the past two years.

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Per Pro Football Focus, Dunlap finished ninth out of 93 defensive ends in its 2013 rankings. He finished 15th out of 97 defensive ends in PFF's 2014 rankings. 

In two games this season, Dunlap has notched three sacks and six stops (tackles causing an offensive failure), giving him a 3.5 PFF grade. That's the third best of any Bengals defender, and he'll be going against arguably the worst Ravens starting lineman this week.

Wagner currently ranks 87th out of 90 offensive tackles in PFF's rankings while allowing five QB hurries and two QB hits. He's looked flat-out bad in Baltimore's first two games, and it's not getting easier with Dunlap on deck.

How well Wagner can block Dunlap in the run and pass game will play a big part in how well the Ravens offense operates this week. 

Prediction

The Ravens are too good of a team to open the season 0-3. They showed flashes of being a good team in Week 1 in a narrow loss at Denver but took a step back in their Week 2 loss at Oakland. 

The themes of both of those games is they were played out west, and Baltimore is back home this week in the friendly confines of M&T Bank Stadium. It will be playing with added energy and urgency at home when the Bengals come to town riding high after a 2-0 start.

The Ravens will come out with a level of intensity the Bengals can't match as Baltimore builds an early double-digit lead. The defense has a big rebound performance and helps the Ravens hold on for a win that comes right down to the final possession. 

Final Score: Ravens 23, Bengals 20