Marvin Lewis was given a mulligan after his Cincinnati Bengals struggled last season, missing the playoffs for the first time in six seasons. And they weren’t even close as the win total from the previous year was halved. Lewis returns to try and get Cincy back to the top of the division and he has pieces remaining from teams that won at least 10 games in four consecutive seasons. The Bengals have won six of the last seven meetings with the Baltimore Ravens and a win in Week 1 will give Lewis some job security, at least until the next game.
Don't miss any of the NFL Week 1 action on Sunday, September 10, 2017 at 1 p.m. ET. This duel from Paul Brown Stadium will be televised on CBS.
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Joe Flacco vs. His Ailing Back
Some players don’t need to practice and the preseason games are a worthless endeavor for a veteran who’s been around for several years. But when talking about the most important position on the football field, if would be reassuring for the starting quarterback to take a few snaps in practice at least.
Flacco hasn’t practiced with the team or played a down this preseason as he continues to mend from a back injury that flared up at the start of training camp. But John Harbaugh insists that his QB will be the starter when the season opens in Cincinnati. “He will be back for the Bengals game, I promise you that,” Harbaugh said last week.
And for the sake of the Ravens’ record, he better be. Ryan Mallett has started every preseason game in Flacco’s absence and hasn’t instilled much confidence in the coaching staff. He’s completed just 56 percent of his throws with two interceptions and rating of 57.8. Mallett would start if Flacco is not available, but Harbaugh sounds certain he will be.
Justin Tucker vs. Randy Bullock or Jake Elliott
In AFC North games where points are sometimes at a premium, the Ravens have an important weapon in Tucker, who is the best placekicker in the game. Tucker made all but one of his kicks last season, connecting on 38 of 39 field goals and all 27 extra points. His only miss came on an attempt that was blocked in New England.
Tucker was deadly from distance, too. He was perfect beyond 40 yards, including all 10 of his tries from greater than 50 yards. Tucker has made nearly 90 percent of his career field goal tries and has never missed a PAT, putting all 166 attempts through the uprights.
Five of the last six games between the Ravens and Bengals have been decided by one score putting more emphasis on special teams play. The Bengals parted ways with Mike Nugent near the end of last season after he missed six field goals and six PATs. Bullock solidified the position when he came aboard, but his only missed field goal cost the Bengals a victory over Houston. The team used a fifth round pick on Elliott and the two have been battling all preseason for the job.
Bengals Offense vs. Ravens Defense
It’s always been about defense in Baltimore and Harbaugh has carried on the tradition since taking over from Brian Billick a decade ago. The Ravens have owned a top-10 defense eight times under Harbaugh with their worst ranking being 17th in the year they won a Super Bowl title. This season will be more of the same.
There are new faces in the group, but the results were encouraging during the preseason. The starting unit played a total of nine series in the first three exhibition games and didn’t allow a point. They forced a punt on every drive and allowed fewer than 100 total yards.
That’s not a big deal to Andy Dalton and Cincy’s offense. They’ve seen the Ravens enough to know how to attack and the Bengals should have a more balanced lineup. A.J. Green is the main target in the passing game and second-round pick Joe Mixon has impressed in camp. Tyler Eifort is the best tight end not named Gronk and the line got younger and stronger. The Bengals have the personnel to score plenty of points and the group will give the Ravens a good test.
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