Baltimore Ravens start season as favourites vs Cincinnati Bengals in AFC North showdown – NFL Preview
The Cincinnati Bengals will visit the Baltimore Ravens this Monday to play their 2012 season opener against the American Football Conference (AFC) North division rivals, with a victory clearly on their minds irrespective of the odds, which are slightly in
favour of the hosts.
Both teams have boasted their readiness for the game respectively, and a tight fight can be expected. The Ravens are particularly upbeat about the transformation they have gone through this offseason, with a significant shift of their focus on the offence.
This has further signified performance of their offence leader quarterback Joe Flacco.
For the first time, the QB has worked with a top-notch QBs coach Jim Caldwell. Jim has posed complete faith in Flacco’s ability to excel this year. The player has already shown signs of remarkable improvement during the preseason phase, and sounds well prepared
to assume an even greater role in the regular season.
Although the team has been affected on some defensive positions, which have been their main strength in the recent times to an extent, the department is still capable of putting some strong resistance to any attack in the league. Veteran safety Ed Reed is
the bright spot on the defensive line, rich in experience and potential.
Having a look at the Ravens performance against the Jacksonville Jaguars in the preseason phase, it can be expected that the game will be a high-scoring tie, but since the Bengals are a competitive unit themselves, the final situation on the points table
could be around 33 points maximum for the Ravens, while the opponents might be able to put up the number of about 23 to 27 points.
This is just an estimated final figure, and the possibility that the Bengals topple the Ravens is very much there despite the fact that the result will certainly be a surprise for the Ravens more than anyone else.
A win nevertheless will serve to boost the Bengals’ confidence and pave the way for consistent and more wins by them in the season. It is pertinent to note that the Bengals generally progress well during the first half of the season but are dragged behind
in the next.
On the contrary, the team is far more capable of recovering in the second half of the game from losses of the first half. A majority of their victories have come through their strong show-offs in the second half.
Andy Dalton’s performance as second year offence leader is important to their wins as is Flacco’s to the Ravens' victories. With wide receiver A.J. Green on the line, Andy has the ability of penetrating through any defence in the league. He remained a star
performer for the team last year, helping the side to the playoffs phase after a long drought. Although the opportunity was ruined by them, it was a job well done by Dalton.
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