The Ravens didn't have to face the Cincinnati Bengals' A.J. Green last season because he was sidelined by a torn hamstring, but they didn't exactly need a crash course this week on the damage the star receiver can inflict on a defense.
"If they don't know what A.J. Green can do by now, they probably shouldn't be in this league," Ravens defensive coordinator Dean Pees said Thursday. "Everybody knows how good he is."
Few players have tormented the Ravens more in recent years than Green, who has six combined touchdown receptions and 604 receiving yards against them in the last five meetings. As the Ravens prepare for Sunday's regular-season opener against the Bengals, one of the primary focuses of their revamped secondary is slowing down the six-time Pro Bowl selection.
"A guy like him, you have to know where he (is) at all times. He can ruin a game _ he's done it before, especially for us," Ravens safety Eric Weddle said. "We have to be on our toes, technically sound, and play good team defense to make sure he's not going to ruin our afternoon."
The Ravens contained the fourth overall pick in the 2011 draft in his first two seasons in the league, but they've had no answers for him since as Green has become a main reason the Bengals have won six of the past seven matchups.
Green caught eight passes for a 151 yards and a touchdown, on a 51-yard game-tying Hail Mary with no time on the clock, in the Bengals' 20-17 overtime loss to the Ravens on Nov.10, 2013. When the two teams met later that season, Green's 53-yard touchdown gave Cincinnati a lead that it would never relinquish in a 34-17 victory.
In the regular-season opener of the 2014 season at M&T Bank Stadium, Green hauled in the game-winning 77-yard touchdown pass with just under five minutes to play.
Green's most-dominant performance against the Ravens came the following year as he caught 10 passes for 227 yards and two touchdowns in Cincinnati's 28-24 victory on Sept.27, 2015. Those two touchdowns, an 80-yarder and a 7-yarder, were in the last seven minutes.
"For some reason, he has that knack for killing us with that last play of the game," said Ravens cornerback Jimmy Smith, who figures to spend much of Sunday afternoon matched up against Green. "He's been winning games for them lately. We've got to keep that off of us."
