CINCINNATI — Ray Rice accelerated into a gaping hole, busting through the right side untouched behind a crushing block from guard Marshal Yanda.
And the Pro Bowl running back’s legs didn’t stop firing like pistons until he strode into the end zone without the Cincinnati Bengals’ defense even laying a glove on him as Yanda sealed off middle linebacker Rey Maualuga to lead to Rice’s 70-yard jaunt.
The touchdown propelled the Baltimore Ravens to an early advantage as they immediately signaled their intentions of seizing the AFC North division crown and the second seed in the AFC playoffs Sunday at Paul Brown Stadium.
Rice duplicated the feat in the fourth quarter with another long touchdown run to seal the game, a 51-yard sprint with fullback Vonta Leach punishing Maualuga to clear a path.
Playing a smart, gritty brand of football with Rice providing the offensive firepower, the Ravens manufactured a workmanlike 24-16 victory in their regular-season finale to go unbeaten in six division games for the first time in franchise history.
"I was off to the races," said Rice, who rushed for 191 yards and finished the season with 1,364 while breaking the Ravens’ single-season touchdown record with 15 total scores. "Running backs, we get the glory. Man, that bill is going to be expensive for what I have to get my offensive line. I have to get those guys something nice. ..
"When we win, everybody wins. I can only imagine what the city of Baltimore is doing right now. It’s amazing. I’ve been in a playoff game, but never had a home one. Winning the game was huge."
Now, the Ravens (12-4) have earned a first-round bye next weekend and are guaranteed to play at least one home playoff game at M&T Bank Stadium. That’s a major development since the Ravens went undefeated at home this season with a perfect 8-0 mark.
The Ravens have won 18 of their past 19 home games, not losing at home since Dec. 5, 2010 when they fell to the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Ravens swept the Steelers this season, going 6-0 against the AFC North.
Under the NFL playoff format, the Ravens are set to host a playoff game on Jan. 15 with a 1 p.m. kickoff against the second-highest remaining seed that emerges from the wild-card round.
"This is a great achievement, especially when you consider whatever doubters we had," middle linebacker Ray Lewis said. "We swept our whole division. Now, the world comes to Baltimore. ..
"It was the way it was supposed to be. It was joyful. You’re bringing 2012 in, you clinch the division, you get the week off to rest. To have that opportunity is huge. That’s why there’s so much excitement."
This marks the Ravens’ first division title in five years and only the second time they’ve won the second seed after being a wild-card playoff team for each of the past three seasons.
They held off a late charge by the Bengals after nearly squandering a two-touchdown lead in the second half.
"I’ll leave the eloquence up to you guys, but we all felt it right here in the pit of our stomachs," coach John Harbaugh said. "Our football team really wanted to win this game. We really needed to win this game. For our team to sweep the division and to go undefeated at home, I’m just so proud of these guys for that. It’s a great accomplishment to win this particular division.
"I don’t know how you could do it any better than winning it here against that football team with the effort they put in. This is one championship. We still have two more that we’re shooting for: the conference championship obviously and a world championship. I was so grateful to be a part of something like this, to have this kind of moment."
Pro Bowl outside linebacker Terrell Suggs forced a fumble by swiping the ball away from tight end Jermaine Gresham in the fourth quarter with strong safety Bernard Pollard pouncing for the turnover.
Three plays later, Rice was in the end zone.
Then, the Ravens held the Bengals to a 23-yard Mike Nugent field goal that narrowed the gap to eight points.
Cornerbacks Lardarius Webb and Chris Carr defended two heaves into the end zone in the final seconds from rookie quarterback Andy Dalton to put the game away as each deep throw intended for Pro Bowl rookie wide receiver A.J. Green fell incomplete.
"This feels good," Suggs said. "Everyone’s kind of happy, taking it in. I’m just going to take it in and celebrate with my brothers. We did it together."
Tight end Dennis Pitta caught a game-high six passes for 62 yards. And he hauled in a nine-yard touchdown catch on a fade pass from quarterback Joe Flacco to the corner of the end zone that staked the Ravens to a 17-3 lead.
Afterward, Pitta donned an AFC North Champions baseball cap.
"The hat fits great," Pitta said. "I’m going to wear this one home. We’ve worked so hard. This was our goal: to be division champs."
And the Ravens contained a dangerous passing game led by Dalton and Green, limiting Dalton to 232 yards and no touchdowns.
He targeted Green nine times, but only connected for two catches for 26 yards.
Clinging to an eight-point lead in the final minutes after Nugent’s field goal, the Ravens got the job done when it counted after the Bengals had exhausted all of their timeouts.
"The message was, we do this all the time in practice, we do two-minute drills, don’t let them in,’" free safety Ed Reed said. "Don’t let them get anything crazy, don’t let them get anything stupid because the game was kind of getting out of control a little bit.
"We knew they weren’t going to quit. Cincinnati always plays us to the end, every minute of the game. Those guys fight."
As do the Ravens.
Suggs sacked Dalton on the Bengals’ second-to-last drive to make them settle for a field goal.
Earlier in the half, Baltimore allowed a 25-yard touchdown run to running back Bernard Scott as he scooted past Lewis and ran through an arm tackle attempt by Reed to close the gap to 17-10.
Then, Nugent connected on a 46-yard field goal with 12:35 to go in the fourth quarter.
Without Rice’s contributions in the first quarter and the fourth quarter, this game could have been even more difficult.
"I think it’s important anytime Ray touches the ball," Lewis said. "That’s never changed. When we play that type of game, the result is 12 wins and a first-round bye.
"I take my hat off to that guy. I’ve watched that boy since college, and to see him grow now in his fourth year is a special, special thing."
Despite the defeat, the Bengals qualified for the playoffs as the sixth and final seed in the AFC and will play the Houston Texans on Saturday in the wild-card round. It’s their third playoff appearance in the past two decades.
If not for the Ravens’ electrifying start to the game punctuated by Rice’s first touchdown run, they might not be enjoying the strong position they earned heading into the postseason.
Flacco managed the game effectively, committing no turnovers as Rice did the heavy lifting on offense and the defense held its own against the Bengals’ explosive passing game.
"It was obviously pretty exciting," said Flacco, who completed 15 of 19 passes for 130 yards and one touchdown pass. "We haven’t won the division since I’ve been here, especially the way we did it. To go undefeated in a division that has three playoff teams is a pretty big accomplishment.
"It’s definitely big. We didn’t just win the division, we beat everyone. It says that we will probably see one of those teams down the road and we’ll have to get after them again."
