Ravens Nation

This weekend, the Ravens visit the Bengals in a rematch of a Week 5 game that Cincy somehow stole in Baltimore.

This one will operate as an elimination game only if the road team fails to settle the score. If Cincy wins, they’ll move to 6-2, giving them a two-game lead over the 4-4 Ravens that would be, as a practical matter, a three-game lead due to the fact that the Cincinnati sweep would give the Bengals the first head-to-head tiebreaker.

A win by Baltimore, however, would make the division a three-team race — especially if the Steelers lose to the Broncos in Denver on Monday night.

It’s proving time for the Bengals. And maybe the Ravens, too.

Cincinnati sits atop the AFC North along with Pittsburgh at 5-2, and the Bengals have beaten the Steelers and Ravens. Next week, they visit the Steel City.

So this is make or break time for a team usually too fragile to handle such pressure. And usually too inept to put themselves in this position.

But these Bengals have impressed with their moxie and their versatility. They’re favored by three points.

“We’re in a good spot right now,” quarterback Carson Palmer said. “Being 5-2 and tied for first in the division — it’s ours to lose, really. We just need to hang on for as long as we can and finish the season with a bunch of wins and see what happens as far as the playoff picture’s concerned.

“But that’s a little far down the road for us right now. It’s about Baltimore, and then it’s about Pittsburgh. I don’t even know who we play after that, honestly.”

Sweep both games and it would take a monumental collapse for Cincinnati to not make the playoffs, no matter who else is on the schedule.

Baltimore got back to winning by handing Denver its first loss. The Ravens were awfully sloppy in their three-game slide, but were close at the end of all three defeats.

They also are carrying a grudge after falling at home to Cincy four weeks ago.

After 2008’s trip to the AFC championship game, the Ravens have been given three prime-time games in the 2009, including nationally televised games against the Super Bowl Champion Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday Night Football (Nov. 29) and Monday night games at Cleveland (Nov. 16) and Green Bay (Dec. 7).

“We like the schedule, especially for our fans,” Ravens president Dick Cass said. “Seven of our eight regular season home games are scheduled for 1 p.m. And, we know the fans will be excited to have the Steelers come here for a prime-time game.”

The schedule is as follows:

Sept. 13 — vs. Kansas City at 1pm

Sept. 20 — at San Diego at 4:15pm

Sept. 27 — vs. Cleveland at 1pm

Oct. 4 — at New England at 1pm

Oct. 11 — vs. Cincinnati at 1pm

Oct. 18 — at Minnesota at 1pm

Oct. 25 — BYE

Nov. 1—vs. Denver at 1pm

Nov. 8 — at Cincinnati at 1pm

Nov. 16 — at Cleveland (Monday Night Football) at

Nov. 22 — vs. Indianapolis

Nov. 29—vs. Pittsburgh (Sunday Night Football) at 8:20pm

Dec. 7 — at Green Bay at 8:30pm

Dec. 13 — vs. Detroit at 1pm

Dec. 20 — vs. Chicago at 1pm

Dec. 27 — at Pittsburgh at at 1pm

Jan. 3 — at Oakland at 4:15pm