The trap was set Sunday afternoon at Paul Brown Stadium.

Coming off two tough games against NFC East teams — the Giants and the Eagles — the Ravens could have easily overlooked their downtrodden division rivals from Cincinnati before heading into a brutal December schedule that will determine if they’ll still be playing in January.

Instead, the Ravens responded with a dominant effort against the Bengals, pushing their record to 8-4, keeping pace with the Steelers in the AFC North and ensuring that their playoff fate would be in their own hands in this long December.

The offense let Cincinnati hang around in the first half — probably longer than coach John Harbaugh would have liked — until Mark Clayton lit the fuse for another Ravens’ scoring explosion. The fourth-year receiver — at times a forgotten man in the offense — hauled in five catches for a career-high 164 yards and threw a 32-yard touchdown strike to fellow wideout Derrick Mason.

Clayton’s spectacular one-handed grab on his 70-yard touchdown in the third quarter dropped jaws and put the finishing touches on the Ravens’ 34-3 victory. It was easily Clayton’s best game as a pro.

We’ve come to expect strong play from the league’s second-ranked defense, rookie quarterback Joe Flacco and the always-reliable Mason on a weekly basis this fall. But clutch performances from their supporting cast have had a significant role in the Ravens’ recent run of six wins in seven games.

There was Willis McGahee running for 105 yards and a score against the Dolphins. Ray Rice leading the National Football League in rushing in Week 9. Todd Heap hauling in two touchdowns against the Texans in a Week 10 win. Demetrius Williams in the Oakland game. Le’Ron McClain against the Eagles.

Then there was Clayton on Sunday, starring admirably in a supporting role like Christopher Walken in “Pulp Fiction” and Joey Silvera in “Night Shift Nurses 2.” He didn’t overlook the overmatched Bengals. He relished his opportunity to grab the spotlight and inched the Ravens closer to the playoffs.

Lesser teams might have fallen into such a trap. Buffalo did it against San Francisco on Sunday. Ditto for Denver last week against Oakland. Then again, they’re lesser teams for a reason. They don’t have the defense, veteran leadership and moxie required to be a playoff team. The Ravens? They just might.

Baltimore’s next four games — Washington, Pittsburgh, Dallas and Jacksonville — will provide a definite answer.

The Ravens got some help this weekend. The Chargers’ loss to the Falcons knocked them out of wild-card contention. The 6-6 Bills are close to joining the 4-8 Chargers on the sidelines. The Jets (8-4) and Patriots (7-5) both lost, too, further helping the Ravens’ cause.

If they Ravens take three of their last four games, they’ll be in good shape. If they win out, they’re in the playoffs for sure.

They’re probably not thinking that far ahead, though, not with their geographic rivals — the Redskins — making the short trip north for a Sunday night showdown at M&T Bank Stadium. John Madden and Al Michaels will be there, all of America will be watching on NBC and the Ravens will get another chance to show a national television audience that they’re legit.

You can be sure no one will be overlooking this one.

Matt Vensel is a content creator for b. Contact him at matt@bthesite.com.

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