POSITION EDGE

Ravens rushing vs. Bengals run defense

Injuries made the Bengals' defense susceptible in the middle, and the Ravens exposed it. Pounding the ball primarily up the gut, the Ravens churned out 162 yards rushing, their second-highest total of the season. After totaling 70 yards rushing the past two weeks, running back Jamal Lewis resurfaced in the game plan and gained 135 yards.

Ravens passing vs. Bengals pass defense

Playing against his former team, quarterback Jeff Blake kept his emotions in check and played within the system. In an efficient effort, he completed 66 percent of his throws and completed passes to six different receivers. Travis Taylor remained Blake's favorite target, finishing with seven catches including a touchdown. Tight end Todd Heap was left uncovered too often and caught four passes for 65 yards.

Bengals rushing vs. Ravens run defense

Cincinnati running back Corey Dillon ran for his second straight 100-yard game against the Ravens. Missed tackles by the front seven were a problem for the Ravens, who needed their secondary to bring down Dillon on eight of his 21 carries. Dillon had 14 runs of 4 or more yards.

Bengals passing vs. Ravens pass defense

Five minutes into the second quarter, Bengals quarterback Jon Kitna had three completions and two interceptions. The Ravens got a touchdown off Adalius Thomas' 25-yard interception return and should have had another if safety Ed Reed didn't allow the ball to be slapped away 8 yards from the end zone. Kitna bailed out the Ravens at times, failing to look downfield at wide-open receivers Peter Warrick and Chad Johnson for potential touchdowns.

Special teams

The Ravens' return teams were excellent but their kickoff coverage group was awful. In the second quarter, the Ravens' Lamont Brightful returned one punt 95 yards for a touchdown and ran back a kickoff 54 yards to set up a field goal that broke a 14-14 tie. But the Ravens' kickoff coverage team looked clueless, giving up an average of 34.9 yards a return including a touchdown.

NICKEL PACKAGE

Thumbs up

Brightful. With the game tied at 14, the rookie returned a kickoff 54 yards to set up a field goal and then ran back a punt 95 yards for a touchdown.

Thumbs down

Continued sloppiness. The Ravens have fumbled 21 times in nine games. Safety Ed Reed sticking the ball out at the 8-yard line and having it stripped could rank as the biggest blunder in Ravens history.

Stat of the game

293. Yards Ravens produced by returns off punts, kickoffs and interceptions. The Ravens' total offense was 325 yards.

Quotable

"That's when you know you've got them by the throat. They start moving out of the way. We haven't been doing it lately, but we've got it and I know we still have it. We set the tone running the football." - Lewis on his 135-yard rushing performance that made him the Ravens' all-time leading rusher.

Trainer's room

Receiver Brandon Stokley (left foot sprain) was injured in the third quarter and did not return. The X-rays were negative, showing no damage to bones in his foot. ... Nickel back James Trapp (left shoulder sprain) was injured on Reed's fumble in the first quarter and did not return. He is scheduled to have a magnetic resonance imaging test today.