When there's another good team in your division, that's always going to be the case. In 2000, the Ravens were the only team that worried the Titans- who had the best record in football that year (13-3). I don't remember which Titan (may have been Mason) predicted the winner of the Ravens-Titans divison playoff game would win the Super Bowl, but he was obviously right on the money.

The Bengals know the Ravens and we know them. I think the short week and the fact Rd. 2 was on the road cost the Ravens the game more than anything else, but if there's any team that can come into Baltimore in the playoffs and beat us, it'll be the Bengals. That said, I think the fact any Rd. 3 against the Bengals will be in Baltimore will prove decisive.

The team I most want to see come to Baltimore in the playoffs is the Irsays. Call me a bitter-ender, but I want to see the Irsays hopes slammed down hard by Ray and the boys on a cold, damp Baltimore winter day. I want the Ravens to say clearly to the Indianapolis Irsays that their championship hopes are "Nevermore."

Give me a break. The Bengals won on a trick play. It worked against us once but we just didn't practice like we wanted to win. The Bengals tried one trick play against the Colts but they lost anyway. The Ravens are playing smart football and we can take in the playoffs.

You experts should have been calling Festivus Maximus since game 3

Mike,
I thought the Bengals were too impatient with the Colts the other nite. I think they should have run the ball until the Colts stopped them. The Colts were probably happy to have the Bengals get into a shooting match with them. Your thoughts??

I couldn't agree more with the RAVEN'S players. I'd rather see us play the Chargers or the Colts than those Bengals. They just seem to have the RAVEN's number. Even in thinking about the game the RAVENS took from them this year, I think we only won that game because of the big 14-0 run at the beginning of the game thanks to major mistakes by the Bengals! Don't wanna see them in the playoffs!!!

I totally agree. Everyone in Baltimore was talking about how we had to root for the Bengals on Monday to keep hope alive for a bye week. I'd rather play Indy, San Diego, anyone on the road than play the Bengals again. Carson, Chad, and TJ have replaced Brunell, Jimmy Smith, and Keenan McCardell as the Raven killers. Now we just need Denver to knock CincinAttica out...

I believe the Colts and Begals are the only two teams in the NFL that could really give the Ravens serious problems in the playoffs. Peyton Manning of the Colts usually starts out slow against the Ravens but then start to pick the secondary apart in the second half. Carson Palmer of the Bengals can pick the Ravens secondary apart at any time during the game, given decent weather.

Cincinnati took his defense apart? They (cin) scored 13 points at home. Only touchdown was on a trick play. So i think your anaysis is a little weak.

I'm glad Adalius and Suggs made the Pro Bowl this year but Ray Ray and Scott should be in too. We have the best linebackers in the NFL. I wouldn't take any others for any of them. They should have gotten in as a unit. The Ravens will go to Super Bowl this year!

Mike, I agree completely with you if:

The Ravens play the Bengals away on a rainy, cold Thursday night after an emotionally and physically rough game against the Steelers. This is very similar to the freeby the Broncos got in the rain at home and 6,000 ft. up. One more thing, the Bengals are very jealous of the Ravens (based on their continuous "player hatin" talk), were playing for their playoff lives plus revenge for the first game loss (and perhaps 8 years of the Ravens punking them and laughing at their uni's).

I really think the Ravens should (and probably do) fear the Chargers more than anyone.

wanted to say that i believe the ravens are going to,and will win the super bowl.As for the bengals they will finish 8-8 and in my opinion not a very good football team.If the ravens had something on the line when they played the bengals.The outcome would have been different.nice to see the ravens doing so well.as for kyle bollers performance on sunday.good job coming off the bench cold.

Maybe true, but like the old adage goes "cross that bridge when you get to it". The Colts certainly figured the Bengals out Monday night, so we can learn from that film. If we do play them it will be at home so that helps too. Anyway I don't think the Ravens are thinking about anything except the Steelers right now! THE STEELERS ARE GOING DOWN ON SUNDAY!!

I think we dominated Cincinnati at home more than people seem to remember. We marched up and down the field all day but as soon as we hit the redzone in the 2H ,Billick just turned it into "Martyball" (run,run,run,kick). Why the heck he went with a lob at the end instead of 3 runs and a field goal to put us up nine I'll never understand. Very Minute chance of getting them in the first round anyway. If Denver beats them, Jets slide into 6 seed, if they beat Denver, Bengals move to the 5 slot and take on the Pats, who match up very well against Cincy. I know that can change but thats how it looks through this weekend anyway. Go Seattle!!!!

The Ravens are a better team. However, the Bengals match up well. Out of the playoff teams, the only one the Bengals could beat besides the Ravens is Denver. On the other hand, the Ravens can beat anyone.

Consider both games this year. In the first, the Bengals had a patchwork OL, played a horrible game, and still lost by 6. All the bounces went the Ravens way. In the 2nd game, the Ravens came out flat, and got killed. In a playoff game, the OL would be intact (Levi Jones at LT is a huge deal). Again, the Bengals are not a very good team, but their strength, passing, matches up very well against the Ravens. And, they are very good against the run. As to the "only scored 13 points" in the 2nd game, that's true, but they had a TD taken away on a weak PI call, and they lost their (backup) center and had to put in a guy who had never played in an NFL game. They stopped attacking.

The Ravens would be better off playing New England, or Denver.

Mike you are way off base as usual. I would rather play the bengals than the Colts or Chargers because of that familiarity. McNair had a bad game in Cincinnati, every QB has bad games. The Bengals had a great game plan and only put up 13 points. I felt Baltimore didn't run the ball enough or take shots down field which is something that won't happen the next time we face them. The Ravens defense didn't play physical football and they will turn it up a notch in January. Besides the Bengals put up 16 points against Indy, please tell me what the Ravens have to worry about.

I don't believe the Ravens fear anyone.The reason I say that is because unlike Mr.Preston I am not a mind reader. I don't remember ever hearing any Raven say they fear anyone.To do that is a sign of weakness that I just don't see out of a dominant team like our Baltimore Ravens.