TIME: 1 p.m. Sunday
PLACE: M&T Bank Stadium (Synthetic)
LOCAL RADIO: Dan Hoard (play-by-play) and Dave Lapham (analyst) led by Cincinnati flagship stations WCKY-AM (ESPN 1530) and WEBN-FM (102.7) on the 41-station Bengals radio network.
TV: CBS broadcast team of Andrew Catalon (play-by-play), Steve Beuerlein (analyst), Steve Tasker (analyst) and Dana Jacobson (sideline) on Channel 12 in Cincinnati, Channel 7 in Dayton, Ohio, and Channel 27 in Lexington, KY.
INJURIES
CIN:
OUT: Backup DT Pat Sims (hip) didn't practice Wednesday and Thursday and isn't expected to play, which means DT Brandon Thompson would be active for the first time this season.
DOUBTFUL: Backup rookie DL Marcus Hardison (knee) returned to practice in limited form this week for the first time since getting hurt in the pre-season finale. He'd most likely be inactive if healthy.
PROBABLE: Starting RT Andre Smith (buttocks) didn't practice Thursday after going Wednesday, but went full Friday and he's expected to go. Starting WR A.J. Green (knee), starting LT Andrew Whitworth (back), starting S Reggie Nelson (groin), rotational DL Wallace Gilberry (thigh) went full Thursday and Friday after being out or limited on Wednesday.
BAL:
OUT:Rookie WR Breshad Perriman (knee), their No. 1 pick, started practicing this week after spraining his knee the first day of training camp. Starting LT Eugene Monroe (concussion) missed practice Wednesday and Thursday. Backup James Hurst is a second-year player with six starts. Starting DE Chris Canty (calf) also didn't practice Wednesday and Thursday.
QUESTIONABLE: Backup RB Lorenzo Taliaferro (foot) surfaced on the injury report Friday as limited.
PROBABLE: ILB C.J. Mosley didn't practice Thursday, but it wasn't related to injury and he went full Friday. Starting SS Will Hill (knee) didn't practice Friday but is a go.
THE SERIES
The 0-2 Ravens lead 2-0 Bengals, 20-18, 13-6 in Baltimore
NOTEWORTHY
»» The game pits the only two quarterbacks in the Super Bowl era who have led their teams to the NFL postseason in their first four seasons. The Ravens' Joe Flacco did it in five seasons from 2008-20012 and the Bengals' Andy Dalton (2011-14) is looking to tie him this year.
»» Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis and Ravens head coach John Harbaugh share the same birthday, Sept. 23. Lewis, 57, is four years older. With the game Sept. 27, this is the first time in the eight years that they've faced one another other that they've spent their birthday week preparing for each other.
»» Bengals starting CB Dre Kirkpatrick and backup QB AJ McCarron and Ravens starting ILB C.J. Mosley and starting OLB Courtney Upshaw played on Alabama's 2011 BCS national title team.
»» Six Bengals coaches used to work for the Ravens. During his six-year run as Baltimore's defensive coordinator, Lewis coached the NFL record-breaking defense that won the 2000 Super Bowl. Offensive coordinator Hue Jackson worked for Harbaugh as his quarterbacks coach from 2008-09 and defensive backs coach Mark Carrier had the same position in Baltimore from 2006-09, the last two under Harbaugh.
Special teams coordinator Darrin Simmons was an assistant special teams coach as well as an assistant strength coach with the Ravens in 1998, a stint that led to his association with Lewis. Head strength and conditioning coach Chip Morton also worked with Lewis in Baltimore from 1999-01 when he was the Ravens assistant strength and conditioning coach. Morton's current assistant, Jeff Friday, was the Ravens head strength and conditioning coach from 1999-07
»» It's the first time the Ravens have been 0-2 in Harbaugh's eight seasons. The last time the Bengals were 0-2 was in Harbaugh's first season, when the Bengals lost the 2008 opener in Baltimore.
»» Since Harbaugh became the Ravens coach, the Bengals have opened the season with Baltimore three times and closed the season four times and they're again scheduled to play this year's finale on Jan. 3 at Paul Brown Stadium.
NFL RANKINGS
CIN: 7th in scoring, 7th in offense (4th rushing, 15th passing); 4th in scoring defense, 6th in defense (T-13th rushing, 7th passing), 3rd in turnover margin at plus-three.
BAL: T-16th in scoring, 20th in offense (21st rushing, 14th passing); 26th in scoring defense, 11th in defense (11th rushing, T-18th passing), T-24th in turnover margin at minus-2.
COACHES
CIN: Marvin Lewis 102-96-2 in 13th season, 14-10 vs. Ravens, 7-7 vs. Harbaugh
BAL: John Harbaugh82-47 in eighth season, 7-7 vs. Bengals and Lewis.
PHILIP RIVERS WEATHER UPDATE
The National Weather Service in Wilmington, Ohio is calling for a windy, wet day. There is a 60-percent chance of showers with a northeast wind between 15 to 25 miles per hour and a game-time temperature of 69 degrees.
NUMBERS GAME
44-53 - Bengals road record under Lewis
45-11 - Ravens record at home under Harbaugh
14-10 - Bengals vs. Ravens under Lewis
4-10 - Bengals record vs. Ravens before Lewis
5-7 - Lewis' record in Baltimore
1-6 - Bengals record in Baltimore before Lewis
6 - NFL-best playoff berths for Ravens, Patriots, Colts, and Packers since 2008
5 - Bengals' second-best-in-NFL for play-off berths since 2008
20-13 - Bengals QB Andy Dalton's road record
45-11 - Ravens QB Joe Flacco's home record
35-13 - Flacco's TDs-Ints. Vs. Pittsburgh and Cleveland
13-18 _ Flacco's TDs-Ints vs. Cincinnati
20-8 _ Flacco's record vs. Pittsburgh and Cleveland
7-7 _ Flacco's record vs. Cincinnati
4-4 - Dalton's record vs. Baltimore
69.6 - Flacco's passer rating vs. Bengals
69.6 - Dalton's passer rating vs. Ravens
17.2 - Bengals WR A.J. Green's yards per catch in six games vs. Baltimore
13.4 - Green's yards per catch in 16 games vs. Pittsburgh and Baltimore
17.1 - Ravens WR Steve Smith's yards per catch in five games vs. Cincinnati
16 - Sacks at M&T Bank Stadium by Ravens OLB Elvis Dumervil since he joined the Ravens in 2013
24 - Consecutive games Bengals LT Andrew Whitworth has gone without allowing a sack since a 2013 game at M&T.
28 - Ravens' NFL longest streak of games without allowing 100-yard rusher
7 - Career 100-yard rushing games by Bengals RBs Jeremy Hill and Giovani Bernard
