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The Lions replaced Ndamukong Suh—the Pro Bowler who has been criticized for his aggressive style of play—who signed with the Miami Dolphins.

The Ngata trade frees up $8.5 million of salary cap space, according to ESPN. Reportedly, Terrell Suggs restructured his contract to free up another couple million.

Ngata, a five-time Pro Bowl player, has been the backbone of the Ravens’ run defense for the past eight seasons and has was poised to have his best year yet last season until he was suspended for violating the league’s PED policy.

Ravens fans have come to depend on watching the hulking #92, University of Oregon-graduate make instrumental plays for our defense. He became especially crucial after Ray Lewis’ retirement.

“Haloti has been an outstanding player for us for many years,” general manager Ozzie Newsome told BaltimoreRavens.com. “He consistently showed tremendous leadership in our locker room and on the field. At times, he was one of the NFL’s most dominant players.”

In related news, Ravens tight end Owen Daniels signed with the Denver Broncos today, new home of coach Gary Kubiak, who Daniels has played under for all of his nine NFL seasons. Daniels followed Kubiak from the Texas to the Ravens last off-season and he stepped up last year to replace the injured Dennis Pitta.

Additionally, several teams—including the Atlanta Falcons, Washington Redskins, and Indianapolis Colts—have been eyeing up running back Justin Forsett, who was crucial last year in revitalizing the Ravens’ running game after the termination of Ray Rice.

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That said, the Ravens have a tough game Sunday. The Bengals stole the AFC North title we were trying to defend last year; they beat us in the season-opener at M&T Bank Stadium this year; and they are 11-0-1 in their last dozen games at The Jungle. Still, the fortunes of the two teams have switched courses since that season opener. We’ve won five of six and Bengals haven’t won in more than a month, including blowout losses to the Colts and Patriots.

The oddsmakers have made the Ravens-Bengals clash a pick ‘em game. We’re of course picking the Ravens. Here are three reasons why:

The Bengals are banged up: Pro Bowl linebacker Vontaze Burfict has been playing though head and neck injuries, which isn’t good for him or their defense, and starting middle linebacker Rey Maulaluga is definitely out. Also, wide receiver A.J Green, who killed the Ravens in Week 1, has been hampered with a toe injury—and may or may not play against the Ravens—and Giovani Bernard, their hyper-speed half back, has been limited in practice this week with bruised ribs.

The Ravens depth: We’re banged up, too, but the Ravens’s depth, always a team strength, has been holding things together as we get healthy. The biggest concern for us is starting two rookies on the left side of the offensive line. We’re not playing Tampa Bay or Atlanta this week, folks. Geno Atkins, Domata Peko, Wallace Gilberry, etc. have formed one of the league’s best defensive lines in recent years. Thankfully, Geno and the boys have been struggling lately, but let’s hope they don’t return to form this week. On the flip side, Ladarius Webb and Will Hill are back in our secondary and looked healthy and played well last week.

Owen Daniels: Last week we gave a big shout out to Justin Forsett here and we owe one to our new tight end. If the Ravens’s ground game would be lost without Forsett stepping in for Ray Rice, where would the passing game be without Daniels stepping up after Dennis Pitta when down with another hip injury? Daniels turns 32 in a couple of weeks and had us concerned during training camp—sitting out with mysterious leg ailments most of the time—now looks rejuvenated, catching six passes, including his third TD last week. Pitta had a big game against the Bengals in the opener and we expect Daniels to play a vital role keeping the chains moving Sunday.

We have something to play for: Okay, four reasons. This is more of the intangible variety. Winning on the road is tough in the NFL, but we’ve got good reason to go to Cincy and kick butt. The guys in the Ravens’s locker room know a win over the Bengals would go a long way toward taking the AFC North title back. Everyone around the league was singing the Bengals’s praises after they beat the Ravens here and players don’t usually forget those kinds of things. Football teams tend to play well when they have a chip on their shoulder and the Ravens may just have a big enough issue with the Bengals that they go into The Jungle and drag home a win.

Updated 5 p.m. Friday: The Ravens just announced that Owen Daniels—a day after offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak said that he was “fine”—will miss the Bengals game while undergoing minor knee surgery. Not really what we wanted to hear, but it goes to point that depth is critical in the NFL. Third-round tight end pick Crockett Gilmore—it’s time to step up, buddy.

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