Welcome to Week 11 in the NFL! We have another schedule filled with some intriguing games, but this week the Game of the Week was between two: Eagles vs Giants and Bengals vs Ravens. The Eagles injuries made the likely hood of a Giants monster win increase, and therefore my Game of the Week is the Ravens vs Bengals – and this will be a good one.
First, this game is a huge divisional game that will most likely have major playoff implications. Both teams currently sit at 6-3, which is half a game behind the division leading Steelers. The Ravens have beaten the Steelers twice this season, so a win will cause the Ravens to be in first place.
The Ravens are coming off of a bad loss to a bad team and they need this win to get back on track. They seemingly play to the level of their opponent, whether good or bad. One thing is for certain, the Ravens should be embarrassed that Ray Rice only rushed the ball 5 times last week. He is the offense, and should be getting at least 15 rushes per game. Flacco is not going to be the man to carry this team to the Super Bowl by himself.
The Bengals are an interesting team – they are sitting at 6-3, but they have basically beaten bad teams (Browns, Jaguars, Colts, Seahawks) while losing to the top teams (49ers, Steelers). If the Bengals want to make the playoffs – they need to win some divisional games against teams other than the Browns. The mounting injuries aren’t helping the Bengals – having lost their best corner (Leon Hall) for the season and Rookie sensation A.J. Green is most likely not going to play this week.
Overall, this should be a hard fought game that will come down to the wire. I definitely like the Bengals plus the 7 points, and I am actually going to say they come out with the upset. Their great defense will be able to shut down Ray Rice, forcing Flacco to beat them (and I don’t think that happens).
[Photo Credit: Ned Dishman/Getty Images North America via Zimbio.com]
