The Ravens play their first home game this season on Sunday and are trying to avoid an 0-3 start.
Just for a little added pressure, Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco is 0-3 in his last three against the Bengals, Sunday’s opponent.
Earlier this week Ravens coach John Harbaugh called the Bengals “the most talented team in the league,” and Harbaugh said Thursday it’s the talent and comfort level the Bengals have with their own schemes that’s contributed to their recent success against the Ravens.
"[The Bengals] don’t do anything different than anybody else does,” Harbaugh said. “They have their own unique style. They have their way of playing. I think they’re very aggressive in terms of their mentality. They’re an attacking, 4-3-type defense. So, it’s not anything that people don’t try to do, but they do it well.”
In those three consecutive losses to the Bengals, Flacco has two touchdown passes vs. six interceptions and a 56.2 completion percentage. From 2010-14, Flacco threw 115 touchdowns vs. 69 interceptions and completed 60 percent of his passes.
Flacco’s 18 career interceptions vs. the Bengals are more than twice as many he’s thrown against any other team, and his 69.6 passer rating against the Bengals is his worst among teams he’s played more than three times.
The Ravens have never started a season 0-3. The Ravens are facing two division games in five days; they play at Pittsburgh next Thursday night. So, Sunday’s game is as close to a must-win game as one gets.