By ANDY CLENDENNEN

Who would have thought at the start of the season that a Week 9 matchup between Baltimore and Cincinnati would have such high stakes attached to it?

And even if you DID have that kind of foresight, who would have thought that the Bengals would currently be holding the upper hand?

Well, that's exactly what we have. Right now, Cincinnati sits at 5-2 atop the AFC North. In fact, they are tied with Pittsburgh, and it's hard to see how any teams could be more similar at this point: They are both 5-2, Cincinnati has scored 163 points, Pittsburgh has scored 167; and the Bengals have allowed 128 points while the Steelers have allowed 129.

But this isn't about the Bengals and Steelers. This is about the Bengals and Ravens. Baltimore is currently third in the division, at 4-3. But the Ravens have the most prolific offense in the division, putting up 199 points. And their defense has allowed just nine more points than Cincinnati.

This game has all of the early makings of a classic. And Baltimore better hope it wins, because next on the schedule is Pittsburgh. Two more losses and the Ravens can about kiss the division crown goodbye.

However, first things first. The Bengals lost the first game of the year on a fluke catch-and-run by Denver's Brandon Stokely, then rattled off four straight wins before losing to Houston. But they aren't doing it very impressively (I know, I know - just win baby). Consider: they beat Green Bay, which has established itself as overrated; they then beat Pittsburgh by three, needed overtime to squeeze by Cleveland; and beat Baltimore by three. OK, so perhaps the Pitt and Baltimore wins were somewhat respectable.

The Ravens, meanwhile, have been very Jekyll-and-Hyde. They allowed 24 points, but beat the Chiefs, then allowed 26 points, but beat the Chargers. They then dominated Cleveland (overtime? We don't need no stinkin' overtime), before going on a three-game losing streak to Super Bowl contenders Minnesota and New England, as well as the aforementioned Cincy game.

Then last week, the Ravens rebounded convincingly to trounce Denver, putting up 30 points on the league's best (statistically speaking) defense.

So what can we expect in this, the second meeting between these division contenders?

Well, first, don't expect Baltimore to lose again. Last time out, QB Joe Flacco managed just 186 yards passing, while RB Ray Rice had a team-high 69 yards rushing. The only time Flacco has thrown for fewer yards was. . . . .last week against Denver, in the 30-7 win. And Rice has rushed for less than 69 yards twice, once when he had eight carries and once when he had 11.

Here's another interesting tidbit - Flacco has followed each one of his 'poor' performances with a relative standout showing. Against the Chargers, Flacco threw for 190 yards. The next time out, he threw for 342. After his 186-yard effort last time against Cincinnati, he came back and torched the Vikings for 385 yards. Last week, he threw for 175 yards - which, if you follow the progression, means he'll bounce back with another 300-plus yard game.

Cincinnati, however, has been winning with just the opposite approach. QB Carson Palmer hasn't thrown for more than 271 yards in any game this season, but he hasn't needed to as the resurgent RB Cedric Benson has games of 141, 120, and 189 yards.

So, as most big games do, this one should come down to which defense shows up and plays better.

Baltimore likes to throw the ball; Cincinnati ranks 30th in the league in pass defense, allowing 253.3 yards per game. Only Atlanta and Tennessee are worse.

Cincinnati likes to run the ball; Baltimore ranks fourth in the NFL with just 87.6 yards allowed per game.

1) Cincinnati will be forced to throw. Benson might be No. 4 in the league in rushing, but facing a shutdown run defense a second time after he rambled for 120 yards in the first meeting, the going on the ground will be tough. As always, though, you can't sit him.

2) Rice may not get much of an opportunity for meaningful carries. He'll get a few in the first quarter as the Ravens try to establish the run, but after the first 10 minutes of the game or so, he may not get more than five carries until the fourth quarter. Not to mention that Cincy ranks No. 5 in the league in run defense.

3) This seems to be a game where the aerial attacks will dazzle. Flacco and Palmer could combine for 650 yards through the air. So feel free to start all QBs, WRs, and TEs in this game. Points could be scored through the air in all directions.

Now, onto things we learned:

Always play all of your Saints: This is getting ridiculous. The Falcons held the Saints to "just" 35 points, their third-lowest output of the season. New Orleans has games of 45, 48, 48, and 46 points this year. Not coincidentally, the Saints are undefeated. But unlike the Bengals who have one dominant running back, the Saints have options. In fact, they have options all over the field. Two Saints RBs have rushed for more than 100 yards in a game this year, and neither one is named Reggie Bush. And four different players have led the Saints in receiving yards this year. QB Drew Brees is having an MVP season, and he's spreading the wealth. Take advantage of it.

Chris Johnson should challenge for MVP honors this year. But he won't, because the Titans are godawful. The RB leads the league in rushing, has a 228-yard game and a 197-yard game so far this year, and has even led his team in receiving one game. Johnson has 824 yards so far, is averaging 6.9 per carry, and even has 137 receiving yards. I don't know if a player has ever earned the MVP while on a losing team (certainly not in the modern era, what with voters submitting to the "best player on the best team" theory), but if he continues this pace, Johnson certainly has to be in the mix somewhere.

The Giants are reeling. Not many expected the Giants to lose their third straight this week, but not only did they lose, they also got smacked in the mouth. The culprit? Defense - the Giants have allowed 183 points this year. By contrast, division-mates Philadelphia (133), Dallas (136) and even last-place Washington (123!) have allowed significantly fewer. And it doesn't get easier, as the Giants' next game is against San Diego. Until the Giants get their defensive woes sorted out, feel free to play any and all offensive players against them each week.

Contributor Andy Clendennen previously worked for The Sporting News web site, for which he wrote a weekly fantasy baseball advice column. In addition to The Sporting News, Andy has worked as a sports writer for 10 years, in St. Louis and in Colorado.