To say that the win against the Ravens is huge would be an understatement. This gives us four wins against the AFC North, it pushes the Ravens to 4-4, it gives us a 6-2 record, and it sets up next week’s game to be – in no hyperbole – the game of the year for the AFC North. Okay, before I get into next week’s game, I have a few comments about the actual game.

1. The Bengals Came out Strong: That is exactly how the team needed to take control of the game. The Bengals scored on their first three possessions, which set the tone for the rest of the game. Cedric Benson and Carson Palmer were sensational for most of the first half. Benson finished with his second straight 100 yard rushing game against the Ravens.

2. The Defense Deserves the Game Ball: After the Bengals scored the first 17 points, the offense did just a little bit more than nothing. They moved the ball a bit, but they couldn’t put a consistent drive together during the second half. The defense came up huge to stop the Ravnens offense in the first and second half. The defense had four sacks, including three straight on the Ravens last drive of the game. Leon Hall and Jonathon Joseph each had huge interceptions. There were at least two other passes that the Bengals almost intercepted but couldn’t hold on to. The defense announced to the world that they’re for real by holding the potent Ravens offense to just 7 points.

3. Ray Lewis did not Back up Smack Talk:  He was talking a lot of smack before the game. He said how Cedric Benson’s 120 yards rushing the previous game wasn’t because Benson was good, but it was because of “mistakes” by the Ravens. Whatever, dude. We just ran it down your throat for the second time. How does THAT feel? And he was talking smack about how he would make the same play when he hit Chad Ochocinco hard and drew a penalty. Guess what, Ray? That didn’t intimidate them. You sure didn’t stop us today.

4. Second Half Concerns: Okay, we weren’t very dominant in the second half, especially on offense. Palmer over-threw or under-threw several receivers, and Ochocinco needs to hold on to the ball better against Ed Reed. This was the second game in a row that Reed strips Chad of the football. C’mon, Chad, you need to do better. They will need to do a much better job against the Steelers in the second half if we want to win the game.

5. Injuries could be Detrimental: Chris Henry broke his arm, which will probably sideline him for at least a month. He’s had some big games for the Bengals against the Steelers. I feel like we have the deepest receiving corps in the league, but his loss will still hurt them. I hope he heals quickly. Linebacker Keith Rivers also had to leave the game because he strained his calf. This might be even bigger because we’re not as deep with linebackers. I hope he heals quickly.

6. Biggest Game of the Decade Next Week: All right, that is admittedly a slight exaggeration. Win or lose the next game against the Steelers, the Bengals have seven games left to play, and anything could happen. Still, this game could probably be considered one of the biggest games in regular season history. It will be a statement game, pure and simple. If we want to win the AFC North, we need to go into the defending Super Bowl Champions’ house and take it to them. The Steelers are currently undefeated at home, and I expect it to remain that way because I don’t see the Broncos winning on Monday night. It’ll be 6-2 Benglas vs. 6-2 Steelers for practically the AFC North title. This is reminiscent of the 2005 game when the Bengals came into Pittsburgh and took control of the AFC North by beating them 38-31. With a win next week, the Bengals will be 5-0 against the AFC North and they will hold the two most important tie-breakers. I think I just developed an ulcer while writing that paragraph. It’s going to be insane.

Congrats again to the Bengals. Let’s keep it up for next week!