6 Keys to Baltimore Ravens Victory Against the Cincinnati Bengals

Most Baltimore Ravens fans dread every game against the Cincinnati Bengals. Joe Flacco struggles against their Cover 2 defense, and the defense has trouble tackling Cedric Benson.

Against the Bengals earlier in the year, though, the Ravens actually played one of their best games of the season. Joe Flacco and the Ravens offense had decent success against a strong defense, and the Ravens did a solid job of containing Cedric Benson.

While the previous game against the Bengals was big for the Ravens, Week 17's matchup could be both teams' biggest games of the year. The Bengals can clinch an improbable playoff birth with a win at home, while the Ravens need to take care of business on the road to ensure a first-round bye.

With Andy Dalton and A.J. Green leading a renaissance in Cincinnati, this game promises to be one of the most exciting games of Week 17.

Here are six keys to the game that the Ravens must do if they hope to win and ensure a first-round bye in the playoffs.

Stop Cedric Benson

Cedric Benson is the kind of big back the Ravens tend to struggle with, and he has put up some impressive performances against the Ravens vaunted run defense. While he struggled in their previous matchup, the Ravens have to be sure to contain him in Week 17.

In 2009, Benson racked up 237 yards in two games against the Ravens. Since then, the Ravens defense has locked down on him—and in turn—they have contained the Bengals offense.

Shutting down Benson would force the game onto the young shoulders of Andy Dalton. Dalton is a good prospect, but he is not ready to carry a game on his own yet. If the Ravens can make the Bengals offense one dimensional, they should be able to force Dalton into some key mistakes.

One thing working in the Ravens favor is their Week 16 performance against the Cleveland Browns, in which they surrendered over 100 yards to Peyton Hillis. The Ravens defense is a proud unit, and they will be motivated to stop Benson from being the second 100-yard rusher in as many weeks.

Run the Ball Effectively

Ray Rice is 166 yards away from a career high in rushing yardage. If he manages to get 166 yards and set his career mark, the Ravens can't lose.

The Ravens offense runs through Ray Rice, and if he gets a solid amount of touches and capitalizes on them, the Ravens offense is one of the better units in the NFL. The Ravens rushing offense has been inconsistent, though, and this has led to Cam Cameron abandoning the running game in certain situations.

For the Ravens to have offensive success, the running game must be able to set up third and short situations consistently. Further, the running game must be able to capitalize in short yardage situations.

If Ray Rice has a big game, the Ravens should win with ease. This could be hard for him, though, as Marshal Yanda could be out with a concussion. How the Ravens run the ball against a tough defense could be the difference between a win and a loss.

Beat the Cover 2

In general, the Ravens offense can go as far as Joe Flacco can take them. When Flacco struggles, the Ravens offense as a whole tends to struggle.

Flacco has not had much success against the Bengals Cover 2 defense, and his ability to pick apart their zone coverage will decide how successful the Ravens' offense can be.

Flacco had one of his best games of the season against the Bengals in Week 11: He was able to exploit the loss of Leon Hall. Since that game, though, Flacco has struggled, only going over 200 yards twice in five games.

Without Anquan Boldin, Flacco lacks his biggest weapon, but Torrey Smith dominated the Bengals secondary in Week 11, and if Flacco is on his game, Smith should have another big day.

Joe Flacco has played some of his best football in the Ravens biggest games this season, and this week's game is probably the most important they've played all year. For the Ravens to win, Flacco will need to play his best football, and he might just be up to the task.

Catch the Ball

The Ravens struggles with catching the football are well documented, and in no game was this more evident than last week's matchup against the Browns. Two key drops ended drives in the second half, and the Ravens offense proceeded to struggle.

Flacco could play his best game of the season, but it will be for nothing if the receivers don't step up and catch the football.

Ed Dickson and Dennis Pitta will be relied on for big, drive-extending, third-down conversions, and Torrey Smith will undoubtedly get some chances to make big deep receptions. They need to take advantage of these opportunities if they hope to have offensive success in Cincinnati.

Of all the Ravens issues, this has been the most consistent problem. The Ravens receivers have not inspired a great deal of faith among fans and analysts, but they have a chance to silence their critics at Cincinnati.

Play Better Special Teams

The Ravens special teams were awful last week. Lardarius Webb muffed a punt, and the coverage units allowed Josh Cribbs to get into the end zone on an 80-yard return.

The coverage units have struggled all year, and the Bengals have one of the leagues top returners in Brandon Tate. Tate could very easily give the Bengals momentum with a big return.

Field position will be important in this game, so if the Ravens hope to win, they have to contain Brandon Tate and win the battle for field position.

The return units, meanwhile, simply need to avoid mistakes and gain solid yards. They don't need to be spectacular, but they must avoid costly mistakes. A key mistake in special teams could be the difference in what should be a close game.

Make Andy Dalton Play Like a Rookie

The Ravens tend to have great success against rookie quarterbacks, and they hope to continue this trend against the Cincinnati Bengals prodigy Andy Dalton.

Dalton has looked unflappable at times this year, but the Ravens do a great job of confusing rookie quarterbacks into costly mistakes.

All of this starts with shutting down the running game and forcing Andy Dalton to win the game with his arm. Without the benefit of a strong running game, Dalton will play more aggressively.

This could play right into the Ravens hands.

From there, the Ravens must have a strong pass rush. Their pass rush has been non-existent in recent weeks, but hopefully they can regain the form that led to nine sacks against the San Francisco 49ers and numerous other big performances. With a strong pass rush, they could easily rattle the young Dalton.

Finally, the Ravens need to play solid coverage. Cary Williams could be sidelined with a concussion, so Jimmy Smith will need to play a big role. With Lardarius Webb at full strength, the Ravens should be able to play solid pass defense.

The Ravens have struggled at forcing turnovers this year, but they could have a few opportunities against the Bengals. If the pass rush manages to rattle Dalton, the secondary must capitalize with big turnovers. With a few key turnovers, the Ravens could turn a close game into a blowout.

Prediction

For the Ravens to win on Sunday, they need to fix the issues that have been plaguing them in recent weeks. I can't see that happening.

The Ravens have struggled on the road all year, and the offense simply hasn't been productive lately, despite playing terrible defenses.

Marshal Yanda might not play, and the Ravens offense struggled without him against Cleveland. He is one of their best run blockers, and without solid run blocking, the Ravens offense cannot hope to be productive.

The Ravens defense should be motivated to play their best football after allowing Peyton Hillis to go for big yardage. If the pass rush can get going, the Ravens defense could win this football game on their own. The pass rush has just not been productive lately, though, and the Bengals are very good at pass blocking.

The Ravens could very well win this game, but with the way the offense has been playing, I see the Bengals winning a low scoring, defensive battle at home.

Bengals 16, Ravens 13