Bengals Early Bird Special: Now Is The Time To Focus

Good morning Bengals Nation! It's time to rise and shine. It's Thursday which means the work week is almost over and it's another day closer to Sunday. And what's on Sunday? Only the most important game for our beloved Bengals this season. So if you're having a bad day then stop by your closet Waffle House for some food and coffee and remind yourself that the week is almost over.

Only 60 minutes stand in the way of the Bengals making the playoffs. And of course their opponent the Baltimore Ravens, but that's not my point. The Bengals have 60 minutes to determine whether or not they are going to continue playing football or if they are all going to their respective homes to enjoy their offseason. And during this time Cincinnati will have to remain focus by limiting the amount of mental lapses and errors that they commit. Mistakes are going to happen, but this Sunday the Bengals will have to limit that number.

If the Bengals' offense can repeat their performance from the first time they squared off against Baltimore then they should be in a decent position to win the game. The Bengals put up 483 total yards on offense. The running attack rushed for two touchdowns and 119 yards on 30 carries. The biggest element that bit the Bengals in the rear was the fact that Andy Dalton threw three interceptions. Baltimore capitalized on Dalton's mistakes by scoring 14 points off two of the interceptions while the first interception occurred towards the conclusion of the first half. Despite those interceptions Dalton was still able to help guide the Bengals offensive assault by putting up a respectable 24 points. Everything will hinge on the Bengals defenses' ability to stop Baltimore's offensive attack.

The defense is going to have to do something to stop rookie wide receiver Torrey Smith and running back Ray Rice. During round one of the rivalry Smith torched the Bengals secondary for 165 yards on six catches and he also reached the end zone one time. While Rice ran for 104 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries. The Bengals defense will have to step up their game especially considering they are without their top cornerback Leon Hall. One way to do that is by putting pressure on Ravens' quarterback Joe Flacco. Cincinnati only forced one turnover in the game and if they can put more pressure on Flacco then their chances of creating turnovers should increase as well. But even if the Bengals cause more turnovers they will still have to be able to capitalize on it. Depending on which defense shows up will determine the outcome for the Bengals as they hope to sneak into the playoffs.

Alright here is a look at what you may have missed or overlooked from Wednesday.

• Gregg Doyel, of CBSSports.com, recently wrote an article that pretty much bashed Bengals owner Mike Brown and in all honesty it couldn't have come at the worst time.
• According to Bengals offensive coordinator Jay Gruden, "something has to change" when the Bengals have the lead and that head coach Marvin Lewis won't tolerate with Benson's fumbles.
• Check out the injury and practice report for the Bengals and Ravens.
• In a new feature we examine the top-ten stories for the Bengals in 2011 starting with No. 9 and No. 10. Both of these had a major impact on the Bengals for the regular season.
• For anyone who cares, Bengals offensive tackle Andre Smith is in the 320-pound range.
• Bengals offensive tackle Andrew Whitworth was snubbed in regards for the Pro Bowl if you ask me and he's having a better season than some of those who made the Pro Bowl.
• Jonathan Fanene has been nominated for AFC Offensive Player of the Week.
• Right now Bengals rookie wide receiver A.J. Green is more focused on making the playoffs rather than his Pro Bowl selection.
• Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton has been nominated for AFC Offensive Player of the Week.
• Cincy Jungle's Unsung Hero of the Week for Week 16 is.......
• When it comes to the Pro Bowl there are always going to be players who are snubbed and for the Bengals one player in particular stands out as being snubbed and he is......
• Local 12 is going to air the New York Jets game during the early afternoon and the Bengals game will have limited national coverage.
• For those of you who haven't heard the news, the Bengals and Ravens game has officially been declared a sell out.