BALTIMORE — Looking to avoid back-to-back losses for the first time in over two years, the Ravens welcome the Cincinnati Bengals to M&T Bank Stadium with plenty on the line in the tightly-contested AFC North.
With both teams standing at 6-3 and right behind Pittsburgh, the stakes are far higher than anyone imagined at the beginning of the season with the Bengals starting a rookie quarterback and no longer having the services of volatile wide receivers Chad Ochocinco and Terrell Owens. The Bengals have won three of the last four meetings against the Ravens and boast the AFC’s best road record at 4-1. However, the Ravens are one of only three teams (Green Bay and New Orleans) to be undefeated at home this season and have won 14 of their last 15 games at M&T Bank Stadium.
The Ravens will be wearing purple jerseys and white pants while Cincinnati wears its white jerseys and black pants this afternoon.
As expected, inside linebacker Ray Lewis will not play against the Bengals as he deals with a toe injury. His streak of 57 consecutive starts comes to an end as he’ll miss his first game since the finale of the 2007 season. The question will now become whether he will be ready for the Ravens’ next game in four days against the San Francisco 49ers.
Wide receiver Lee Evans is active for the first time since Week 2, and linebacker Dannell Ellerbe also returns after missing the Ravens’ last four games with a hamstring injury. He will start in place of Lewis at inside linebacker next to Jameel McClain.
As expected, the Bengals will be without rookie wide receiver A.J. Green, who was listed as doubtful with a knee injury.
Here are today’s inactives:
Baltimore
LB Ray Lewis
WR David Reed
WR Tandon Doss
CB Chykie Brown
RB Anthony Allen
DT Arthur Jones
LB Sergio Kindle
Cincinnati
WR A.J. Green
S Robert Sands
LB Dontay Moch
G Clint Boling
OT Anthony Collins
TE Donald Lee
WR Ryan Whalen
Luke Jones
Luke Jones is the Ravens and Orioles beat reporter for WNST BaltimorePositive.com and is a PFWA member. His mind is consumed with useless sports knowledge, pro wrestling promos, and movie quotes, but he often forgets where he put his phone. Luke's favorite sports memories include being one of the thousands of kids who waited for Cal Ripken's autograph after Orioles games in the summer of 1995, attending the Super Bowl XXXV victory parade with his dad in the pouring rain, and watching the Terps advance to the Final Four at the Carrier Dome in 2002. Follow him on social media @BaltimoreLuke or email him at Luke@wnst.net.
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