NFL Playoff Picture: Ravens Must Bully Bengals to Safeguard Super Bowl Hopes

The 2011 NFL season has been something of a Jekyll-and-Hyde act for the Baltimore Ravens, the ultimate result of which may hinge on what happens against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday.

The Ravens have been stellar at home this season, posting a perfect 8-0 record at M&T Bank Stadium, but have been uneven on the road, to say the least, where their record drops to just 3-4.

Hence, John Harbaugh's boys have every reason to close out the season on a winning note, as such would secure for them the AFC North title and the No. 2 seed in the playoffs that comes with it. Such would grant the Ravens an extra week of rest before playing a home game on the way to the AFC Championship Game.

And, if the New England Patriots are summarily ousted on account of their terrible defense, then the Ravens will enjoy home-field advantage on the road to the Super Bowl in Indianapolis.

All of this is contingent, of course, on Baltimore actually beating the Bengals on the road this weekend. That will be no easy task, considering the Ravens' less-than-spotless road record and the fact that Cincy will be playing for its playoff life, with the Tennessee Titans and the New York Jets also vying for the sixth and final spot in the AFC postseason picture.

With the Bengals playing for their playoff lives, the onus will be on the Ravens to hold up their end of the bargain on both sides of the ball.

Unless they'd rather drop down to the five-seed in the AFC and have to play back-to-back-to-back road games on the way to Indy. At 11-4, the Ravens sport a record identical to that of the rival Pittsburgh Steelers, though Baltimore owns the tiebreak on account of sweeping the season series. The Steelers' season finale—at the Cleveland Browns—will be much more amenable than that of the Ravens.

As such, if Baltimore stumbles and Pittsburgh brings the pain to the Browns, then it'll be the Steelers who steal the AFC North crown and the No. 2 seed, leaving the Ravens to fend for themselves away from home.

In other words, Baltimore will need to do what it did against Cincy in Week 11, when it beat the Bengals 31-24, to stave off postseason disappointment. That means another dominant performance by Ray Lewis and company on one side and something more closely resembling consistent quarterbacking from Joe Flacco on the other.

Anything else could mean the difference between lifting the Vince Lombardi Trophy and another disappointingly early exit.

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