Ravens, Bengals ready to renew rivalry

CINCINNATI (AP) — The last two AFC North champs going head-to-head. The league’s most ornery defense digging in against one of its sexiest offenses. Chad Johnson running his mouth at Ray Lewis.

Playfully, of course.

“I’m really looking forward to it,” said Johnson, the Bengals receiver who led the league in yards last season. “This is more than just a football game Monday. It’s going to be a show.”

The opener between the defending champion Baltimore Ravens and the former champion Cincinnati Bengals is quite an opening act for one of football’s best mini-dramas. The AFC North should be quite a show — Johnson is right about that — all season long.

The Ravens with their rock ’em, sock ’em defense. The Bengals with their air-it-out offense. The Steelers with their resolve to get back to playoff form. The Browns with all their problems.

They’ll probably spend the entire season beating each other up — with the Browns getting the worst of it — to get the honor of representing what is by some measures the league’s toughest division.

Could be key clash

A game like this could wind up being vital down the line.

“You’re talking about a team in your division,” said Lewis, the Ravens linebacker. “So the outcome is, can we get a ‘W’ on the road? Can they keep a ‘W’ at home? It’s a crucial game at the end of the day.”

And a most intriguing matchup.

Baltimore won the division by five games last season, a domination built on defense. The Ravens gave up the fewest points and yards in the league on their way to a franchise-best 13-3 mark.

With playmakers like Lewis and Terrell Suggs and Ed Reed and Chris McAlister and Samari Rolle, the defense is a nightmare — to every team except one.

The Bengals know how to handle it.

Cincinnati has won four of the teams’ last five games, including a 42-29 victory in 2005 that was Carson Palmer’s coming-out performance. The Bengals swept the Ravens that year, on their way to the division title and their only winning record since 1990.

The reason? The Bengals’ veteran line, anchored by tackles Willie Anderson and Levi Jones, can handle whatever the Ravens throw at them, giving Palmer time to find Johnson and T.J. Houshmandzadeh open downfield.