Baltimore @ Cincinnati preview

Last Meeting ( Nov 10, 2013 ) Cincinnati 17, Baltimore 20

The defending Super Bowl champs look to bounce back from a damaging defeat and give themselves a chance to repeat when they visit the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday. While the Baltimore Ravens can technically lose and still back into the playoffs if several other teams in the hunt also lose, they can make it much easier on themselves with a win coupled with losses or ties by either San Diego or Miami.

In order to deliver the Bengals their first loss at home this season, Baltimore will need to put forth a better effort than the one it submitted in a 41-7 home loss to New England, which forced four Ravens turnovers to drop them out of AFC North contention. Cincinnati, which locked up that division crown while crushing Minnesota, 42-14, still has something to play for, as it can attain a first-round bye in the playoffs with a win and a loss by the Patriots, who are hosting Buffalo. The first matchup between Baltimore and Cincinnati on Nov. 10 saw the Ravens blow a 17-0 lead - including a Hail Mary touchdown pass by the Bengals that forced overtime - before winning 20-17 in the extra session.

TV: 1 p.m. ET, CBS. LINE: -6, O/U: 44.5.

ABOUT THE RAVENS (8-7): Coach John Harbaugh has made the postseason in each of his first five seasons with Baltimore, turning playoff football into one of the trademarks of the organization. Along the way, another trademark has been the team's ability to bounce back from losses like the one it sustained against New England; the Ravens have won their last nine games following double-digits setbacks. Quarterback Joe Flacco, who has zero touchdowns and two interceptions in his last two games, has struggled at Cincinnati, where he has four scores and six picks through the air in his last four full games at Paul Brown Stadium.

ABOUT THE BENGALS (10-5): The chances of the Patriots falling at home to the Bills may not be very high, but Cincinnati has indicated it will not rest its starters and has every intention of going all in to give itself a chance to move up the playoff ladder. "We're going to do everything we can to win the football game with our guys and go at it that way," coach Marvin Lewis told reporters this week. Some Bengals players have hinted that hurting Baltimore's chances is an extra incentive, especially given the fact that Baltimore has won five of the last six meetings between the division rivals.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Flacco needs 280 passing yards to join Vinny Testaverde as the only quarterbacks in franchise history to reach 4,000 in a season.

2. Bengals QB Andy Dalton (4,015 yards) needs 117 yards to surpass Carson Palmer's franchise mark for a season, set in 2007.

3. Baltimore had three turnovers and totaled 189 yards in the overtime win against Cincinnati earlier this season.

PREDICTION: Bengals 24, Ravens 20