CINCINNATI (AP) -- Maybe this one will have to be decided by penalty kicks.

Two teams barely capable of scoring are heading into their meeting Sunday looking alike, sounding alike and struggling alike. Baltimore (3-6) and Cincinnati (1-9) have offenses that are little more than warm-up acts for their punters.

The Ravens gave up only two field goals to Jacksonville last week and lost 6-3. The Bengals' kick returner had as many yards as their offense through three quarters of a 24-14 loss to Tennessee. Neither performance was out of character.

The Ravens have reached the 20-point mark only twice this season; same for the Bengals. Two of Baltimore's wins have come over expansion Cleveland; that's the same team the Bengals beat for their only victory.

Both teams have so many problems on offense that it's tedious just to rehash them.

"There's so many factors, this would be a long story," Ravens quarterback Tony Banks said.

If both stay in character, their game Sunday will be a slow, plodding affair. There's one variable that could make it interesting: the Priest Holmes factor.

Last season, Holmes had one of the most amazing two-game series of any running back. He rushed for 173 yards in his first NFL start in Cincinnati, then piled up 227 in his encore against the Bengals in Baltimore.

That's 400 yards in two games, the fourth most by any running back in a two-game series since 1970. Two of his three 100-yard games last season came against Cincinnati, as did 400 of his 1,008 yards.

"He got a lot of yards against us, but a lot of people got yards against us last year," linebacker Brian Simmons said. "For some reason, he got even more. I really don't know what it was. We're definitely going to work hard this week and make sure it doesn't occur again."

It's not likely. Holmes has had a sprained knee this season and has only 94 yards in three games. He's a backup to Errict Rhett, who has four 100-yard rushing games and is seventh in the NFL with 708 yards overall.

Whether it's Holmes or Rhett, the Bengals expect to see a lot of the Ravens' running backs.

"They're going to come out and run the ball. There's no secret about it," linebacker Takeo Spikes said.

And if Holmes doesn't do anything, it's likely that someone else in the Baltimore offense will. Virtually every week, some opponent has a big day against the Bengals, who are giving up an NFL-worst 30 points a game.

"Everybody we play is dangerous, if you get my drift," coach Bruce Coslet said.

By contrast, the Bengals haven't been dangerous on offense since their season opener in Tennessee, when they scored 35 points and lost. They've scored 14 or fewer points in seven of their 10 games, and it hasn't really mattered whether Jeff Blake or rookie Akili Smith is running things.

Blake will start again Sunday in place of Smith, who's sidelined indefinitely by a sprained toe. That gives the Bengals a little better chance against a defense that ranks with Jacksonville as the best in the league.

Blake was sacked seven times and was the club's leading rusher on scrambles in the loss to Tennessee last Sunday. The poor offensive showing -- only 99 yards in the first three quarters -- resulted in more frustration and second-guessing.

"In some situations where I think we need to run more, we don't," running back Corey Dillon said. "And in some situations where I think we don't need to run, we want to run more. So it's crazy, you know what I'm saying?"

The Ravens have a few other factors in their favor besides their defense. The Bengals have lost their last 10 home games and 12 of their last 13 over the last two seasons, leaving fans in more of a mood to hurl garbage than cheer them on.

Only twice this year have the Bengals been close at the end of a game, which also works for the Ravens. Baltimore has lost four games by 3 points apiece.

"If we could just find a little more offensive productivity, you're talking 3-point losses across the board," coach Brian Billick said. "There's usually a play, maybe two offensively, where we could have seriously impacted the game and now sit here -- as odd as it sounds -- at 7-2.

"That's the thing we have to dwell on and recognize: It's just a matter of trying to put the pieces together."

BALTIMORE Season schedule and results

CINCINNATI Season schedule and results

September 12 @St. Louis L 10-27 September 19 Pittsburgh L 20-23 September 26 Cleveland W 17-10 October 3 @Atlanta W 19-13 October 10 @Tennessee L 11-14 October 21 Kansas City L 8-35 October 31 Buffalo L 10-13 November 7 @Cleveland W 41-9 November 14 @Jacksonville L 3-6 November 21 @Cincinnati 4:05pm ET November 28 Jacksonville 1:00pm ET December 5 Tennessee 1:00pm ET December 12 @Pittsburgh 1:00pm ET December 19 New Orleans 1:00pm ET December 26 Cincinnati 1:00pm ET January 2 @New England 1:00pm ET

September 12 @Tennessee L 35-36 September 19 San Diego L 7-34 September 26 @Carolina L 3-27 October 3 St. Louis L 10-38 October 10 @Cleveland W 18-17 October 17 Pittsburgh L 3-17 October 24 @Indianapolis L 10-31 October 31 Jacksonville L 10-41 November 7 @Seattle L 20-37 November 14 Tennessee L 14-24 November 21 Baltimore 4:05pm ET November 28 @Pittsburgh 1:00pm ET December 5 San Francisco 1:00pm ET December 12 Cleveland 1:00pm ET December 26 @Baltimore 1:00pm ET January 2 @Jacksonville 1:00pm ET

Records source: STATS, Inc.

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