Cincinnati offense vs. Baltimore defense

	BENGALS OFFENSE
	Ranking in the NFL:
	Run	4
	Pass	14
	Tot. Yds.	8
	Scoring	18
	Int's allowed	14
	Sacks allowed	39
	RAVENS DEFENSE
	Ranking in the NFL:
	vs. Run	2
	vs. Pass	10
	Total yds. allowed	5
	# of Ints.	18
	# of Sacks	40
	Turnover differential	+1

Cincinnati's offense has been hitting on all cylinders since Jeff Blake reassumed his position as starting QB and RB Corey Dillon reemerged to bring the Bengal offense back to life. Dillon's production on the ground has given Blake the luxury of throwing the long ball to talented receivers Darnay Scott and Carl Pickens off of play fakes.

The Raven defense is ranked 5th overall in the NFL, thanks in part to the play of their front. DT's Tony Siragusa and Larry Webster are smothering opposing running backs this season and reserves Fernando Smith and Lional Dalton have made this possible, not only by contributing with their solid play, but by providing the starters up front with much needed rest. Lest we forget LB Ray Lewis' lateral speed, which allows the speedy 'backer to make stops on opposing running backs outside of the "power alleys" and defend the pass as well.

The insertion of Blake has resulted in the cohesion of the Bengal offense from top to bottom, starting with the offensive line. The offensive front is in sync and the beneficiary has been Corey Dillon, who is running much like he did when took home Rookie of the Year honors in 1997. Dillon has rushed for 100 yards in three consecutive games and his rushing production for the season has reached 1,173 yards.

The Baltimore front seven is ranked 2nd in the entire league against the run, their stunting line and blitzing backers yielding just 77 yards a game on average. The Bengals offensive line will have to maintain the solid order of communication they've established with one another recently against Baltimore, because the Ravens are extremely active up front. Bengal OC Rich Braham has the tallest order of the group, needing keep his teammates informed at the LOS prior to snaps and also worry about neutralizing Siragusa and Webster.

Corey Dillon has had opposing defenses so concerned with his ability to produce that teams have been cheating their safeties towards the line of scrimmage, putting them out of position and giving Blake an opportunity to make big plays over the top. However, Baltimore is so sound up front that they won't have to take such precautionary measures and, as a result, they're secondary will be waiting for Blake to air it out.

Bengals offensive coordinator Ken Anderson is well aware that Ravens DC Duane Starks has been struggling, so he'll more than likely have Blake throwing in his direction. TE Tony McGee should see a lot of the football when matched against SS Kim Herring, because Herring has been hurting in man-to-man situations. Blake has been throwing on a line and will not hesitate to try and fit the ball in the smallest of spots.

The Ravens run defense features several defenders aligning themselves in the box, with corners and safeties playing off the ball, so expect Blake to see throw underneath to Scott and Pickens.

The Ravens passing game is ranked 23rd in the NFL and Banks is an errant passer when he is counted on to move the offense by himself; he tries to do too much and has a tendency to force balls. Cincinnati is ranked 24th overall, but since switching to a four-man front three weeks ago the Bengals have been able to keep opposing running games in check, causing teams to try and beat them through the air.

The outcome of Saints game was not indicative of how the Raven offensive line played, inside OC Jeff Mitchell and OGs Jeff Blackshear and Edwin Mulitalo couldn't keep the Saint DTs from penetrating the middle and RB Priest Holmes was knocked off course in the backfield several times.

The communication up front has been poor by the Ravens, so look for Cincinnati LB Takeo Spikes to blitz with frequency and DTs Kimo von Oelhoffen and Michael Blankston to stunt, keeping the Ravens offensive line confused. This will leave most of the Baltimore running success in the hands of FB Chuck Evans, who will need to aid his offensive line in the neutralization of the Bengal front seven for Holmes to be productive.

Baltimore's wide receivers will not get any help form TE Greg Delong, who has had trouble getting downfield and attracting the attention of opposing safeties and linebackers. DeLong's inability to threaten pass defenders has resulted in extensive blitz packages against Banks. Cincinnati will send OLBs Foley and Wilson often, as the two have been rushing the passer well in recent weeks.

Raven WRs Patrick Johnson and Qadry Ismail have been reliant on their speed to free themselves from opposing secondaries, and this won't change against the Bengals, who'll be starting new addition Tom Carter at corner this week.

From watching film, it becomes obvious that the Cincinnati corners aren't playing the ball and are giving up big plays as a result. This could lead to disaster against the Baltimore's big-play passing attack. Banks has been throwing the long ball with accuracy; ironically, he's been inefficient getting the ball to his receivers on intermediate routes. Billick will let Banks get vertical early and often, exercising his quarterback's strength while keying on the Bengal DB's weakness.