RSR’s Mike Fast continues his countdown of the top 10 Ravens games of 2016. The No. 4 game is the second matchup with the Ravens’ divisional rival in stripes.
Top 10 Games of 2016: No. 10 – Week 13 vs. Dolphins
Top 10 Games of 2016: No. 9 – Week 7 at New York Jets
Top 10 Games of 2016: No. 8 Week 11 at Dallas
Top 10 Games of 2016: No. 7 – Week 1 vs. Bills
Top 10 Games of 2016: No. 6 – Week 10 vs. Browns
Top 10 Games of 2016: No. 5 – Week 12 vs. Bengals
Week 17: Ravens at Cincinnati
All-time record against: 20-20
Most recent game: Bengals 24, Ravens 16 (January 3, 2016)
Significance: For the sixth time in the last seven seasons, the Ravens will end their regular season playing the Bengals.
The Bengals have been beating the Ravens with regularity as of late, but they aren’t doing so convincingly. In the previous five season finales versus Cincinnati, Baltimore has lost three (in a row) by a combined score of 104-87.
Even in last season’s Week 17 game, the Bengals were at home and fighting for a first-round bye, but only beat the five-win Ravens, 24-16.
There’s a decent chance the winner of this game will win the AFC North and possibly a first-round bye. A week off after a grueling season will be major motivating factor to all players and coaches.
The weather will also be a factor. According to Pro Football Reference, the average temperature in the last four games which the Ravens ended their season at Cincinnati (2011-13, 2015) was 37 degrees.
Which team will ring in the new year with a win? The outcome of these two match-ups will go a long way in telling us the answer.
Key match-ups
Ronnie Stanley vs. Carlos Dunlap
If all goes according to plan, Ronnie Stanley will be locked in as the Ravens unquestioned left tackle heading into this Week 17 battle. There’s a good chance that by this point in the season, he will have faced star pass-rushers such as Khalil Mack, Ryan Kerrigan, and the James Harrison.
As I mentioned in my recent Ravens/Bills preview, Stanley (the 6th overall pick) showed tremendous athleticism and consistency while blocking Shaq Lawson (the 19th overall pick) when the two faced-off on October 3 of last year. However, as good as Stanley may turn out to be this season, it’s likely he’ll be tasked with fending off the elite defender that is Carlos Dunlap. The 7th-year defensive end is, besides Mack, the best defensive end Stanley would face this season.
In 2015, Dunlap’s 13.5 sacks ranked him 1st on the Bengals and 4th in the league. In 49 career starts, he’s recorded 49 sacks. Fortunately for Stanley, in Dunlap’s last three games against the Ravens, he hasn’t recorded a single sack.
Crockett Gillmore vs. Vontaze Burfict
Unfortunately for Vontaze Burfict, he will miss the first three weeks of 2016 due to a helmet-to-helmet hit on Pittsburgh’s Antonio Brown last season. That means that from Week 1 of 2014 thru Week 3 of 2016, Burfict will have played in only 15 of a possible 35 games (due to suspension and injury).
Say what you will about him, but when Burfict is on the field, he’s an excellent football player. He’s tough, athletic, and smarter than you would think from a guy who lost a game for his team because of a personal foul. He understands the game and how to win his 1-on-1 match-ups very well. In 2013 (his last full season), Burfict made the Pro Bowl after racking up a whopping 171 tackles, six passes defensed, three sacks, two fumble recoveries, and one interception.
One player he’ll likely see a lot of in 1-on-1 scenarios is Ravens tight end Crockett Gillmore, who also is a budding star that has had to deal with an injury-shortened season. Last year, Gillmore played in 10 games before being placed on injured reserve (back).
Although he’s only been thrown the ball five times in three career games against the Bengals, Gillmore has secured all five of those targets for 63 yards (12.6 yard average). Given more chances, you’ve got to think he’ll produce big-time plays and big-time numbers.
This might not be a match-up that immediately jumps out at you. Yet, between the physicality and passion of these two players, they’re bound to have a substantial impact on the outcome of this game, whether it be on run plays or on pass plays.
Prediction: Ravens 16, Bengals 14
