Marvin Lewis has gone out of his way to praise Ray Lewis all season. Marvin was the defensive coordinator and Ray was the linebacker when Baltimore won the 2001 Super Bowl.

Now Marvin’s Bengals run directly into Ray’s Ravens when they play Sunday at Baltimore in a showdown for the AFC North lead.

Both teams are 7-5, and Baltimore is favored by 3 1/2 points. The Bengals won their first meeting, 34-26, Oct. 19.

Nobody expected the Bengals, 2-14 last season under Dick LeBeau, to win seven of nine games after starting 0-3. And no one expected the defense-minded Ravens to score 44 points in two straight games with Anthony Wright at QB.

The points don’t mean Baltimore’s offense has become a juggernaut. The defense has scored some points and set up others, and the officials all but handed the Ravens an overtime win over Seattle two weeks ago.

“The numbers of the game weren’t particularly telling,” Ravens coach Brian Billick said of last week’s 44-6 win over the 49ers. “We had a number of short fields. The offense stepped up and did the job it was supposed to do, given the circumstances it was in.”

Cincinnati won last week by driving for the winning touchdown in Pittsburgh after the Steelers went ahead with 65 seconds left.

That was a first for most of the Bengals.

“After Pittsburgh scored its last touchdown, the whole offense was like, ‘Aw …'” offensive tackle Willie Anderson said.

“Marvin immediately came over to us and said, ‘Hey, don’t worry about it.’ We were just going crazy, and we knew from the excitement in his voice and his eyes that we had to do something.”

MARVINS, 20-19

Kansas City (plus 2) at Denver

This looks like a rare K.C. loss.

BRONCOS, 24-21

Indianapolis (plus 3 1/2) at Tennessee

For the AFC South lead — and maybe the title.

TITANS, 24-23

Dallas (plus 5 1/2) at Philadelphia

For the NFC East? The Cowboys have been shut out in their last two road games.

EAGLES, 16-0

Miami (plus 3) at New England

For the AFC East title — the Patriots clinch it with a victory.

PATRIOTS, 20-16.

Oakland (plus 5) at Pittsburgh

The first time since 1981 that a game between these teams means nothing.

STEELERS, 27-20

Arizona (plus 10) at San Francisco

Both teams are awful on the road and good at home.

49ERS, 51-3

Seattle (plus 1 1/2) at Minnesota

The Seahawks are 1-4 away, but were jobbed out of a road win by the zebras.

SEAHAWKS, 34-31

Chicago (plus 7) at Green Bay

The Bears are getting better, on the road and at home.

PACKERS, 23-20

Tampa Bay (plus 1 1/2) at New Orleans

New Orleans has won its last three against Tampa.

Make it four.

SAINTS, 23-17

St. Louis (minus 4) at Cleveland (Monday night)

Caution: Home teams have won three straight Monday nights.

RAMS, 27-22

Washington (plus 3) at New York Giants

The Giants are hurting, and most of them have stopped blocking and tackling.

REDSKINS 20-10

Carolina (minus 1) at Atlanta

Michael Vick will be rusty in his first start. Won’t he?

PANTHERS, 27-16

New York Jets (plus 3) at Buffalo

Chad Pennington is heating up.

JETS 20-3

Houston (off) at Jacksonville

Byron Leftwich is heating up.

JAGUARS, 17-14

San Diego (plus 3) at Detroit

The Lions are 4-2 at home.

LIONS 31-13

• LAST WEEK: 9-7 (spread); 9-7 (straight up).

OVERALL: 99-73-4 (spread); 110-66 (straight up).