Cincinnati Bengals at Baltimore Ravens: Prediction, preview, pick to win

CINCINNATI BENGALS (6-9) AT BALTIMORE RAVENS (9-6)

GAME SNAPSHOT

KICKOFF: Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET, M&T Bank Stadium. TV: CBS, Ian Eagle, Dan Fouts, Evan Washburn (field reporter).

SERIES HISTORY: 44th regular-season meeting. Ravens lead series, 22-21, including a 20-0 win in this season's opener. Cincinnati has won five of the seven games and two of the past three in Baltimore. The Ravens lead 14-7 in Baltimore. The teams have met in the season finale seven times.

KEYS TO THE GAME: Who starts along the offensive line for the Bengals might not be set until just before game time. But, the Bengals might be inclined to just stick with what works.

The Bengals rushed for 142 yards last week, including 116 from Giovani Bernard, with guards Christian Westerman and Alex Redmond earning their most snaps of the season and Clint Boling shifting to tackle. With Joe Mixon most likely out, Bernard could see plenty of action.

The running game is also important for the Ravens, who need to win or get a loss from Buffalo or Tennessee to make the postseason.

Alex Collins and Javorius "Buck" Allen are effective splitting carries for Baltimore's 15th-ranked running attack, and they will take it to the Bengals' 31st-ranked running game.

Collins leads the team with 895 yards and five touchdowns. Allen is second with 554 yards and four touchdowns.

Quarterback Joe Flacco will take some shots downfield against the Bengals' seventh-ranked pass defense to open up the running game. However, Flacco will need to avoid the turnovers that have hurt him and the Ravens at times this season.

MATCHUPS TO WATCH:

--Bengals WR A.J. Green vs. Ravens CB Brandon Carr. The Ravens' secondary has been decimated by injury, but Carr has a career-high four interceptions and leads the team with 10 passes defensed. Green, a seven-time Pro Bowl receiver, will be looking to finish strong after a somewhat trying season.

--Ravens LT Ronnie Stanley vs. Bengals DT Geno Atkins. Stanley, the team's first-round pick in 2016, has anchored an offensive line that has been hampered by injuries. Stanley and the rest of his linemen have allowed 26 sacks, ranked 18th in the league. They will face a tough test against the Bengals' aggressive pass rush -- Atkins leads Cincy with nine sacks, and linebacker Carl Lawson has 8.5. In the first meeting, Atkins managed the Bengals' only sack and the Ravens won 20-0.

FRIDAY INJURY REPORTS

CINCINNATI BENGALS

--Out: T Cedric Ogbuehi (shoulder)

--Doubtful: LB Vontaze Burfict (shoulder)

--Questionable: CB William Jackson (knee), RB Joe Mixon (ankle)

BALTIMORE RAVENS

--Doubtful: WR Jeremy Maclin (knee)

--Questionable: G Jermaine Eluemunor (shoulder), T Austin Howard (knee), DT Patrick Ricard (neck), WR Mike Wallace (knee), DT Brandon Williams (back)

PLAYER SPOTLIGHT: Ravens TE Benjamin Watson. The 14-year veteran has played a bigger role in the revamped offense, becoming a favorite target for quarterback Joe Flacco. Last week against the Colts, Watson had a team-high five receptions for 40 yards. For the season, he leads the team with 54 receptions for 461 yards and four touchdowns.

FAST FACTS: Bengals QB Andy Dalton is one of three quarterbacks (Peyton Manning and Cam Newton) with 3,000 passing yards (3,098) in each of his first seven seasons. In the past three games at Baltimore, he has 967 passing yards (322.3 per game) and five touchdowns. ... RB Giovani Bernard had 168 yards from scrimmage (116 rushing) and a rushing touchdown last week. He has at least 130 yards from scrimmage in two of the last three games and 288 scrimmage yards and a touchdown catch in three straight against the Ravens. ... WR A.J. Green has 678 receiving yards and six TDs in the last six meetings. In four games at Baltimore, he has 579 receiving yards and four touchdowns. He has 1,061 receiving yards and is the second player (Chad Johnson) in team history with six 1,000-yard seasons. ... DT Geno Atkins had a sack in the last meeting. In his past six games against Baltimore, he has eight tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks and a forced fumble. ... Ravens QB Joe Flacco completed 29 of 38 with two touchdowns and no interceptions in Week 16. He has 557 passing yards, three touchdowns and one interception in his last two AFC North games. He can become the first player in franchise history with eight 3,000-yard seasons. ... LB C.J. Mosley ranks fourth in the AFC with 126 tackles. He had two tackles for loss last week. In the last six games against the Bengals, he has 55 tackles, two interceptions and a sack. ... LB Terrell Suggs had two sacks and a forced fumble when the teams met earlier this season. He has five sacks and three forced fumbles in his last four games against Cincinnati.

PREDICTION: It has been a long season for the Bengals. To send Marvin Lewis out with a win would be bittersweet, but Cincinnati will leave the field just bitter.

OUR PICK: Ravens, 24-21.

--Dennis Rudner