Vic
2012-12-30 02:08:04 UTC
It’s the saddest week of the NFL season, Week 17. It is the last week of the regular season. It is the least week that we see 20 of the 32 NFL teams play. Only 12 will move on to play a game after Week 17.
Luckily, Week 17 is filled with good matchups, one of which, being the Baltimore Ravens versus the Cincinnati Bengals.
The Baltimore Ravens will travel to Cincinnati on Sunday to play the last AFC North game and the last game of the 2012 season. The Ravens are 10-5, 4-3 on the road this year, and 4-1 against AFC North opponents. The Ravens defeated the Bengals in Week 1, 44-13. The Ravens swept the Bengals in the 2011 season, and have always had a favorable matchup against them.
The Cincinnati Bengals have a record of 9-6, and are in the playoffs in back-to-back seasons since 1980-81. The Bengals are 3-4 at home, while they are 6-2 on the road. The Bengals are division rivals with the Ravens, but can never seem to make it a very good rivalry. One of the two road losses that the Bengals have, came from the Ravens in a terrible blowout in Week 1.
The Baltimore Ravens have just snapped a 3-game losing streak by beating the New York Giants, 33-14 at M&T Bank Stadium. The Ravens looked better than they have been, and looked like they could easily defeat any team in the NFL. Joe Flacco and his offense rolled over the Giants’ defense, and showed no mercy in high pressure situations. The Ravens’ defense, which has been questioned all year, showed that they are still the scary, high powered defense that they have been since ’96.
The Cincinnati Bengals have won 2 straight, and have been playing great. They eliminated the Pittsburgh Steelers from playoff contention in Week 16, and Andy Dalton is throwing amazing passes to AJ Green. The Bengals are playing like a top team in the AFC, and the Ravens know that. Every game the Bengals get better and better, and play more like a complete team.
The Baltimore Ravens are only playing for two things: A better record, and a possible 3 seed in the AFC. If the Ravens win on Sunday, and the New England Patriots lose, the Ravens will clinch the three seed in the playoffs, and will be hosting the Bengals in Baltimore in the AFC Wildcard Round in January. The Bengals are locked in at the six seed, and are only playing for their 10th win of the season.
The Ravens will be without Linebacker Ray Lewis, who has been on Injured Reserve and has decided to sit until the postseason. They will possibly sit Defensive Tackle Haloti Ngata and Guard/Tackle Marshal Yanda to rest them up for the postseason, as well.
The Bengals will be without Kicker Mike Nugent.
This game is going to be a good one, but, who doesn’t love a good division rivalry for a season finale? Both teams are averaging 24.5 points a game, and the Ravens only need 11 more points to break the record for most points scored in a single season in franchise history.
The season finale will be played in Cincinnati at 1:00 PM Eastern Standard Time on CBS.