Give Ravens quarterback Jeff Blake another week and he will be ready to say the coming game will be more special.

But going back Sunday to Cincinnati, where Blake spent six years, is nothing to note, in his estimation. Blake had a tumultuous relationship with the Bengals and lost his job on three occasions.

"I really haven't thought about it," Blake said. "Now if we were playing the Saints, that would be different, because I just came from there. I haven't been to Cincinnati in three years, so I kind of forgot about everything. I let that go a long time ago."

The Ravens do play at home next week against New Orleans, where Blake spent the past two years before the team cut him in a salary cap-related move last offseason. But for now, Blake returns to the city where he is third in team history with 15,134 passing yards.

Blake went to a Pro Bowl after throwing for 3,822 yards and 28 touchdowns in 1995 but was benched for Boomer Esiason two years later. A year after that, Blake lost his job to Neil O'Donnell and finally to Akili Smith in 1999, bouncing in and out of the lineup.

"I'm going to take it one game at a time, regardless of who we are playing," Blake said. "I'm going to take the game like I was playing anybody else."

Boulware in sack slump

For a rare time in his career, linebacker Peter Boulware is in a sack drought.

Boulware has not recorded a sack the past four games and has five on the season.

"It's frustrating," Boulware said. "In the past, [Michael] McCrary has been out there and [Sam] Adams, guys that were really awesome pass rushers. It is a little different, but that is OK. I'll take the double-teams as long as we keep winning.

"If the sacks come, good; if they don't, then hopefully we're getting the wins, and that is what counts."

Injury report

Guard Edwin Mulitalo (chest), cornerback Chris McAlister (ankle) and quarterback Chris Redman (back) are questionable for the Bengals game but practiced yesterday.

Mulitalo aggravated a back strain on his first play in Sunday's win over the Tennessee Titans and missed the rest of the game. Casey Rabach replaced Mulitalo but left midway through the third quarter with a stinger (temporary nerve injury) and is listed as probable.

"I feel pretty good," Mulitalo said. "I feel the best that I've felt since last week."

McAlister has missed the past three games, but Ravens coach Brian Billick is optimistic about his cornerback's return.

"We'll see [today] how he feels running around," Billick said.

Miscellaneous

Linebacker Ray Lewis met with the media for likely the last time this season yesterday and said he felt relief over the decision to have season-ending surgery on his left shoulder. "I wanted to play, and my shoulder just wasn't giving me nothing," Lewis said. "I just had to make a decision for the future and what I'm trying to do for my ballclub for years to come." ... Lewis and his Feed the Children Organization distributed food to more than 440 Baltimore-area families Tuesday. ... Wide receiver Brandon Stokley also spoke about being placed on injured reserve Tuesday with a foot sprain. Stokley will also have surgery soon. "There is no chance of me playing on it," Stokley said.