We again asked our questions to Joe Barnes over at the EbonyBird about this weekends upcoming game. I changed the questions up because this is the second time the Bengals face the Ravens. The first for those of you that don't remember was the game where Benson slayed streaks and the Bengals won another close one.
1. Who are the Ravens? They won their first 3 against sub par teams. Lost 3 then destroyed an undefeated team. Do you think last weeks Ravens are the real Ravens?
You have to realize that those three losses should have been wins. The first one, against the Patriots, would have been a win if not for a dropped pass with 34 seconds left. The game against the Bengals, well, you know what happened there, and the last game against the Vikings was lost because of a pass interference call. Last week, the Ravens were pumped up and ready to go, and showed how good everyone thought they would be coming into the season.
2. What do you want to see from Baltimore this weekend on offense?
I want to see Ray Rice with over 125 yards of total offense and Joe Flacco throwing the ball less than 30 times. I also want to see the Ravens' O to have at least 2/3 of the possession. If these things happen, there is little doubt in my mind they should win.
3. How about defense?
On defense, it's the same thing it's been the whole season. The short passing game. That's why they lost the Patriots and Vikings games, and it's a big part of their dominant defensive performance last week. If they shut down the short swing passes and checkdowns, all they have to worry about is the run game and the deep balls, which are two things they are very good at stopping.
4. Will the Ravens focus on Cedric Benson because of the record he broke?
The Ravens focus on the top running back every week regardless of any record. With that said, the defense undoubtedly knew about the streak and thus will be fired up to keep him under control.
5. What scares you this week about the Bengals?
I'm scared that the Bengals will score first. This team has seemed like it needs a big play or to start a game or half quickly to get pumped up and into it. If the Bengals score first, especially on a big play to Ocho, the Ravens could start flat. It happened against the Vikings, and it took big plays from Ray Rice to get them back into the game, and eventually taking the lead.
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