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Ravens can clinch division title with win Thursday

Nov 28, 2006 - 7:53 PM Baltimore (9-2) at Cincinnati (6-5) Thursday 8:00 pm EST

CINCINNATI (Ticker) -- The Baltimore Ravens can become the first team to clinch a division title this season. But wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh believes his team is better than the Ravens.

The Cincinnati Bengals will host the Ravens on Thursday night in a battle of AFC North rivals.

The Ravens can secure their second division crown in four years with a win.

The Bengals are the reigning AFC North champion, but they lost at Baltimore, 26-20, earlier in the month.

Special teams and an interception return got the Ravens off to a quick start and Matt Stover took over from there. Musa Smith recovered a fumble on the opening kickoff, safety Ed Reed returned an interception 25 yards for a touchdown and Stover kicked four field goals.

The Ravens forced three turnovers. The first two helped stake Baltimore to a 14-0 lead.

It all started on the opening kickoff when Mike Smith stripped the ball from Chris Perry and Musa Smith recovered for the Ravens at the Cincinnati 34.

Steve McNair hit tight end Todd Heap with a 15-yard pass on the first play from scrimmage. On a 3rd-and-6, McNair connected with Mark Clayton on a 10-yard pass. Two plays later, Jamal Lewis ran off left tackle for a two-yard touchdown 2:59 into the game.

On Cincinnati's first play from scrimmage, Carson Palmer was sacked by linebacker Adalius Thomas. Two plays after that, Palmer threw a high pass over the middle for Chad Johnson, who was hit by Reed. Cornerback Samari Rolle intercepted the overthrown pass, returned it 24 yards and then lateraled it to Reed, who raced 25 yards for a touchdown, giving the Ravens a 14-0 advantage just 4:32 into the game.

Stover kicked the first of his field goals - a 43-yarder with 5:39 left in the second quarter - to increase the lead to 17-0. He added field goals of 25, 36 and 35 yards in the second half.

The Bengals fought back and moved within six points on two occasions, but could get no closer.

After the loss, Houshmandzadeh declared that the Bengals were the better team. But Cincinnati is three games behind the Ravens with just five games remaining and will likely scramble for a wild-card spot.

"Well, Houshmandzadeh says they're better than us," Ravens defensive coordinator Rex Ryan said. "We remember that."

Coach Brian Billick canceled practices for the Ravens this week, scheduling just two walkthroughs before the Thursday night contest. And who could blame him after Baltimore pounded the defending Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers, 27-0, last Sunday.

The Ravens tied a franchise record with nine sacks and also forced three turnovers by Ben Roethlisberger - two interceptions and a fumble that was returned 57 yards for a touchdown by Thomas.

Defensive ends Terrell Suggs and Trevor Pryce each had two sacks as the Ravens recorded their second shutout of the season. The defense is starting to get compared to the 2000 championship team, which allowed 165 points - the fewest ever in a 16-game season.

Middle linebacker Ray Lewis, the MVP of Super Bowl XXXV and a two-time Defensive Player of the Year, was the centerpiece of both teams.

"We were just big (in 2000) and stopped people by playing base defense," Lewis said. "This defense is different. We have so much better athletes at every position that it's scary."

Lewis, Thomas and Bart Scott gives the Ravens a versatile linebacker trio that can play the run, blitz the quarterback and cover backs on pass plays.

Baltimore's defense has scored five touchdowns this season and has yielded just one in the last 10 quarters.

The Bengals are known for their high-powered offense led by Pro Bowlers Palmer and Chad Johnson. Palmer has passed for three touchdowns in three straight games and Johnson has 573 receiving yards in that span.

Bengals coach Marvin Lewis knows all about Ray Lewis and the Ravens' defense. Marvin Lewis was the defensive coordinator when Baltimore won Super Bowl XXXV.

Now he's trying to mold a defense in Cincinnati. The Bengals posted their first shutout since 1989 last week, rolling to a 30-0 win at Cleveland. They entered the game as the league's lowest-ranked defense, yet recorded four interceptions and four sacks against the Browns. Cornerback Tory James and safety Kevin Kaesviharn each had two interceptions.