Crystal Ball
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Offense
1) Delayed tempo: Defenses are typically overaggressive and mistake prone during the first moments of a regular season opener. The Bengals, especially, may press hard to get off to a fast start to boost their confidence.
There is a strong chance that the Bengals will try to use stunts and dog blitzes up front to flush Steve McNair out of the pocket. Ends Robert Geathers and Justin Smith will line up wide off the edges when they attack the line out of a three-point stance.
If the Bengals rely on a fast-paced defensive attack to rattle the Ravens offense, Baltimore should be ready by running a patient, yet quick hitting assault.
Draw and delay runs should be a staple feature of the running game, especially on third-down, when the Bengals are thinking pass first. In addition, look for Baltimore to also get their backs involved in the passing game to further slow down the pass-rush, and to force the Cincinnati linebackers to drop into coverage. 2) Extended hand-off: Not only will it be important for the Ravens to execute certain dump off passes to their backs to keep the Cincinnati pass-rush off balance, but it will be equally important to use those plays to gain enough yards to keep the team in manageable down and distance situations.
The Ravens’ chief concern heading into the opener is their ability to pound the ball against a suspect Cincinnati front line. Until proven otherwise, it appears that the Ravens rushing attack is not quite in sync to be relied on to take over this game.
That said the short passing game could serve as an extension of Baltimore’s ground game. It will be key for the offense to establish an efficient intermediate air strike in the early stages of the game, to take some of the heat off of a still developing rush attack. 3.) Hog the ball: When the Ravens were successful on offense a year ago, it was due in large part to their ability to win the time of possession battle.
Sustaining drives and draining the clock is undoubtedly a major key to keeping the high-powered Bengals’ offense from touching the ball too many times.
However, what may be of equal importance to the Ravens is wearing out a quick, yet undersized Bengals front line. If a McNair led offense is able to string together enough time consuming drives, the Cincinnati run defense may be softened enough to be exposed by Baltimore’s running backs in the fourth quarter.
Defense1) Hurry-up attack: Ironically, it was against Baltimore in a come from behind victory in ‘04 when the Bengals employed an efficient two-minute offensive attack to score points in bunches. Since then, Carson Palmer has grown comfortable in that setup, and the hurry-up is an approach Cincinnati uses to strike quickly.
Baltimore must be prepared to play at an up-tempo pace. Defenders will need to get in their stances quickly and the players on the field will need to be adept at defending the pass, as the Bengals will likely try to prevent the Ravens from substituting extra defensive backs into the game.
2) Attacking the edges: Normally, the tackle position is a strong point for the Bengals. However, with ailing starting tackles Willie Anderson and Levi Jones returning to action after missing the preseason, the Bengals could be vulnerable off the edges.
Granted, both players are veterans and should be able to adapt to the speed of the game fairly quickly. But the duo’s timing may be off a bit, and that slight degree of lag time may be enough for the Baltimore edge rushers to make their presence known against Palmer.
The defensive coaches will need to draw up some creative weak-side and strong-side blitz packages if they are to be successful, especially because the Bengals will likely keep extra blockers in to help Anderson and Jones cut off the perimeter rush.
3) Staying true: Over the past three years, the Bengals have generated offensive production against the vaunted Baltimore defense due in large part to its ability to hit on big plays through the air. Whether the big play occurred due to a physical breakdown or a mental breakdown, Cincinnati has had a knack for converting one or two game-changing plays against the aggressive Ravens’.
In order for the defense to prevent the Bengals from cashing in on these explosive plays, they will need to play disciplined football. This means that the tackling needs to be sound, free lancing is at a minimum and the defenders stick to their assignments.
In particular, the back end will have to read and react properly to the movements of Palmer at the line-of-scrimmage. Palmer understands how aggressive the Baltimore defensive backs tend to be, and he will use deception to get them out of position in opportune situations.
One-on-one Matchup to Watch: Chad Johnson versus Chris McAlister: Ocho Cinco is assuring a memorable Monday night performance against the Baltimore defense. McAlister will do everything he can to prevent this show from airing. Over the years, these two have battled on numerous occasions, with Johnson usually getting the better of McAlister. Against the Ravens, Johnson should expect to receive special attention in the way of bracket coverage. Still, there will be instances when these two Pro Bowl performers are locked up one-on-one downfield. McAlister is one the premier island cover corners in the league; Johnson is among the very best deep threats in the NFL.
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