The Bengals finally had some peace and quiet Friday, after the circus atmosphere of Corey Dillon Week.

        The team staged its final practice of the week before 65,600 empty seats at Paul Brown Stadium, free of cameras and phone calls.

        Dillon set an NFL single-game record by rushing for 278 yards vs. Denver last Sunday, prompting an avalanche of national media attention. Among other things, ESPN visited Bengals practice Wednesday and Dillon presented his No.28 jersey to an NFL Hall of Fame representative Thursday.

        Dillon was on ESPN's Monday Night Countdown and will be on the network's Sunday pregame show via a taped feature. Also, several radio and TV stations, including the Fox network, called for interviews this week.

        “It might possibly have been a slight distraction, but those are the kinds of distractions we're looking for,” coach Dick LeBeau said Friday. “It was a good week of practice.”

        LeBeau said Dillon bore up well, despite the off-field demands.

        “Corey did an excellent job with that, as good a job as he did on Sunday, and I think that's saying something,” LeBeau said.

        Dillon's 278 yards marked the best game by a running back in the 10,767 NFL games played since the league was formed in 1920.

        HITTING STRIDE: Right tackle Willie Anderson believes Dillon, who missed nearly three weeks of preseason training camp as a contract holdout, is rounding into form.

        “His vision (vs. Denver) was big-time,” Anderson said. “I think earlier in the year, he was a little rusty by missing camp. He wasn't seeing the holes he used to see. Now, he's seeing the holes.”

        STILL AWED: Bengals president Mike Brown knew he was seeing something special while watching Dillon last Sunday. Brown and his brother, Bengals player personnel director Pete Brown, thought they had seen it all.

        “During the game, I said to Pete, "I've never seen a game like this, and I've been watching the NFL for 50 years,'” Brown said. “After the game, when all the statistics were checked, there was a reason why I hadn't seen a game like that in 50 years.”

        The Bengals' 407 yards rushing were the most by an NFL team since 1950.

        Brown, not given to overstatement, compared Dillon's 278 yards to a baseball player hitting five home runs in one game.

        “It's downright phenomenal,” Brown said.

        NOT SO FAST: Some Bengals fans are penciling in Cleveland as a victory Sunday. The Browns (2-6) are without quarterback Tim Couch and have lost five straight games. Plus, the Bengals (1-6) have momentum after upsetting Denver.

        Reminder: Cleveland beat Cincinnati 24-7 in the season opener. Is Couch worth 17 points?

        “We'd better be a better team this time,” LeBeau said. “They whipped us in every phase of the game.”

        Has that been brought up this week?

        “It might have been mentioned a couple of times,” LeBeau said.

        CARTER STAYS IN: Strong safety Chris Carter will remain a starter until further notice. Carter made his first Bengals start, vs. Denver, and had six tackles, an interception and a fumble recovery.

        Former starter Cory Hall suffered a mild concussion vs. Pittsburgh on Oct.15 and still is recovering.

        “Cory's making good progress,” LeBeau said. “Chris Carter is playing well, and there won't be a change there (Sunday).”

        FEW PICKS: The Bengals have just five interceptions — none by a cornerback — this year.

        Still, five NFL teams have fewer than five interceptions, including the Browns with four. The Arizona Cardinals are last, with just one interception.

        RECORD WATCH: Takeo Spikes is averaging 9.1 tackles a game, which projects to 146 over a full season. The team record is 151 tackles by Tim Krumrie in 1988.

        • The Denver game was Dillon's 15th game of 100 or more rushing yards, breaking a tie with Pete Johnson (1977-83) for the second-most 100-yard games in team history. James Brooks (1984-91) had 17 games of 100-plus yards.

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