By Dean Michaels, NFL Writer

NFL 2013 Week 10 Preview: Bengals vs Ravens

The Cincinnati Bengals travel to Baltimore looking to rebound after a disappointing 22-20 overtime loss to the Miami Dolphins. Cincinnati (6-3) holds a comfortable lead in the AFC North while their division rival, the Ravens (3-5), has been a disappointment

Cincinnati is still the front runner in the AFC North race, but its lead has been shaved by a half-game after last week's 22-20 overtime loss at Miami. The loss snapped a four-game Bengals win streak and allowed the Cleveland Browns to move into second place in the AFC North, two games back, with their Week 9 victory over Baltimore. The Ravens are in third place, two-and-one-half games behind the Bengals.

"We've fought our tails off every week and we've earned what we are, 6-and-3," said Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis. "It's not where we wanted to be coming back from Miami, but we know it's a tough fight every week. We've won some close games and lost some close games, and what we have to do now is build off what we've done well, which is plenty.

"I've told our team, it has come down to seven games left, seven games to decide everything we've been fighting for. We've got to stay diligent and stay on the attack. We've got good, strong people and a good team, and if we take a deep breath and come back and play our best these next two weeks, we can put some distance between us and the teams trying to catch us."

At Miami, which had lost four in a row, the Bengals were oh-so-close to an undefeated 5-0 record in Ocotber. Trailing 17-3 midway through the third quarter, the Bengals responded with touchdown drives of 80 and 70 yards to tie the score early in the fourth quarter. And with 1:24 to play, the Bengals took a 20-17 lead on a 54-yard Mike Nugent field goal.

But the Dolphins tied the game with 11 seconds to play. Miami won by ending Cincinnati's second possession with an eight-yard sack of Andy Dalton that was ruled -- on a very close call -- as a game-ending safety.

"We've been winning games like this, and now we've lost one," said Dalton, "but the way we came back, this team showed again it's not going to quit at any time. It's tough the way it ended, but we can't let it get us down. Now is the time to stick together and fight, and I know we will."

The Defense defense must now play the rest of the season without two of its best defenders.

Two weeks after cornerback Leon Hall's year was ended by an Achilles injury, All-Pro defensive tackle Geno Atkins sustained a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his right knee against Miami.

The Ravens have lost three straight by a total margin of only 11 points against the Packers (17-19), Steelers (16-19), and Browns (18-24).

After beating the Browns 11 consecutive times, Baltimore dropped a 24-18 decision in Cleveland

In the Ravens' loss at Cleveland, Browns QB Jason Campbell threw 3 TD passes and led a fourth-quarter drive that kept the Ravens from a late-game comeback. Campbell threw 2 TD passes to WR Davone Bess and another to backup TE Gary Barnidge. Baltimore's QB Joe Flacco tossed a pair of TDs to rookie WR Marlon Brown, plus a two-point conversion to Brown to make the score 21-18 in the fourth quarter. While neither team had much success running the ball, Cleveland WR Greg Little caught 7 passes for 122, while WR Torrey Smith and Brown caught 5 each for 78 and 54 yards, respectively.

Traditionally one of the NFL's strongest teams against the rush, the Ravens rank eighth in the NFL this season, allowing 100.4 yards per game.

The Ravens hold a 12-5 advantage against the Bengals at home team.

Ravens Head coach John Harbaugh on the challenge ahead:

"It's going to be a challenge; we are 3-5. The math says it's going to be a challenge. We've got our work cut out for us; we are going to have to win some games. We have to start winning close games. That's the No. 1 thing we need to get done. You do that first of all by not losing the game. You can't put yourself in that position; you can't make the kind of mistakes that create opportunities for your opponent. We've done way too much of that throughout the course of our season."

Prediction

The Ravens tend to heat up in the month of November.

In fact, under head coach John Harbaugh (since 2008), Baltimore owns the NFL's second-best record in the 11th month, posting a 17-6 overall mark.

Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco plays particularly well at home during the month of November, leading the Ravens to an 8-1 record. In those games, Flacco has compiled a 103.4 passer rating while completing 66.2% of his passes for 14 TDs and just 4 INTS. Flacco has posted a 100-plus rating in six-straight November home games, all Ravens' victories.

Expect the Ravens to tighten the race in the AFC North behind a solid effort from Flacco and the Ravens running game

 

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NFL 2013 Week 10 Preview - Cincinnati Bengals vs Baltimore Ravens