Flacco played through a left knee injury last week against the Patriots, but said it was not a factor in his performance. He has not been on the injury report all week, meaning that he's been a full participant each day of practice. Flacco plans to wear the brace again Sunday, and told reporters that he feels comfortable with it. Flacco's ability to play at a high level even with the brace will be critical for the Ravens to come away with the victory.

The Ravens have been fighting for their playoff lives for the last several weeks, and now they have one more chance to keep their postseason hopes alive. The Ravens have talked throughout the week about being a "battle-tested" team that thrived under adversity, and they will have another chance to prove that this week.

Terrell Suggs and Elvis Dumervil started the year on a tear, looking like they would have no problem breaking the Ravens' single-season sack record (24) for a pass-rushing duo. But they cooled off down the stretch, especially after Dumervil's Week 13 ankle injury. The outside linebackers have 19.5 sacks, so they would need a huge day in order to break the franchise mark. Dumervil had three sacks against the Bengals in Week 10, so he's capable of getting to quarterback Andy Dalton.

While the Bengals have already locked up the AFC North title, they are still holding out hope of getting the AFC's No. 2 seed and don't plan on giving their starters a week of rest. But the Bengals also have some injuries, and they could decide to give some of their key players additional time to heal this week. The headliner is middle linebacker Vontaze Burfict, who suffered a concussion last week and has sat out during practice. Tight ends Jermaine Gresham and Tyler Eifert are also banged up, so the Bengals could decide to be cautious with rushing them back for a game that may end up not impacting their playoff seeding.

The matchup between Ravens cornerback Jimmy Smith and Bengals receiver A.J. Green will likely take place place for years to come. The former 2011 first-round draft picks have developed into top players at their positions, and Smith will be tasked with slowing down the Bengals big target. Smith and Green have been going at each other since their college days, and Sunday will be the latest installment of a classic budding rivalry.

Wide receiver Torrey Smith is having the best season of his career, and he is only 100 yards away from the franchise record for receiving yards in a season. Michael Jackson's mark of 1,201 receiving yards has stood since the Ravens' inaugural season of 1996. Smith has not topped 100 receiving yards since Week 5 against Miami, so he will need one of his best games of the season to etch his place in the team record books.

A question throughout the season has been whether the Ravens offense will be able to put everything together for a breakout game. The offense ranks 26th in the NFL in points per game, and they have scored more than 20 points just four times all season. The Bengals average 26.4 points per game, so the Ravens will need to keep up with Cincinnati's offense. Sunday's matchup is one more chance to put forth the kind of offensive performance the Ravens hoped to have coming into the year.

The Bengals have been dominant at Paul Brown Stadium this year. Cincinnati is undefeated at home, and has outscored opponents 241-107. If the Ravens can strike first and take the crowd out of the game, that could go a long way in the Ravens returning from Cincinnati victorious.

The rookie running back is a big play waiting to happen. He is dangerous on the through and as a pass catcher coming out of the backfield. Bernard had 58 rushing yards, plus 37 receiving yards and a touchdown in the first meeting with the Ravens. He's an elusive back with great speed, and the Ravens have to limit his opportunities in the open field.

Harbaugh made it clear Friday that the Ravens are not going to worry about the other games around the league. "We have to win. That's it," he said. The first order of business is getting a win against the Bengals, and then hoping the Dolphins lose to the Jets or the Chargers lose to Kansas City. As much as the Ravens are focused on beating the Bengals, fans will be keeping a very close eye on the Dolphins and Chargers games Sunday afternoon.