The Bengals once made the playoffs after starting 1-6. But that was a long time ago, in a different era with a shorter season.

        In 1970, the Bengals won their final seven games to finish 8-6 — it was a 14-game season then.

        The 2000 Bengals (1-6) would be thrilled just to beat the rival Cleveland Browns (2-6) on Sunday.

        “I'm not even going to speculate on our future beyond Cleveland this week,” Bengals president Mike Brown said. “It's easy to let your dreams run away with you, but we've just won one game.”

        The Bengals upset Denver 31-21 on Sunday, led by Corey Dillon's NFL-record 278 yards rushing. It has made for a giddy week in Cincinnati.

        “Winning helps everybody's spirits, even mine,” Brown said. “It helps our players and coaches, and it helps our fans.”

        Reality is right around the corner, however. Few have forgotten the 0-6 start. And most know that no NFL team has ever started 0-6 and made the playoffs, with the 1992 San Diego Chargers (0-4 start, 11-5 final record) the only team to start at least 0-4 and make postseason.

        The Bengals do have a relatively easy schedule remaining, at least on paper. The remaining opponents are a combined 31-36 this year, a .462 winning percentage.

        The remaining schedule, with home games in CAPS:

        • at Cleveland (2-6)

        • BALTIMORE (5-3)

        • at Dallas (3-4)

        • at New England (2-6)

        • PITTSBURGH (4-3)

        • ARIZONA (2-5)

        • at Tennessee (6-1)

        • JACKSONVILLE (2-6)

        • at Philadelphia (5-3).

        But the Bengals have some concerns that might preempt a long winning streak, namely, the league's worst passing attack.

        The team has completed just 42.9 percent of its passes, and the Bengals are a runaway 31st (last) in the NFL passing statistics. Cincinnati passes for 118.3 yards a game, with the league average at 210.1.

        The Bengals rank No.2 in the NFL in rushing, thanks largely to their 407-yard total last week vs. Denver — the best NFL team rushing game in 50 years.

        “We have to have more balance, obviously,” coach Dick LeBeau said.

        But LeBeau is encouraged that the Bengals can overcome such an offensively imbalanced game to beat a team that was Super Bowl champion just two years ago.

        “It is a significant game, but it won't mean anything if we don't build on it,” LeBeau said. “I believe we're getting closer, but we still have a long way to go.”

        Right guard Mike Goff said the victory was good for the team's mental health.

        “We're looking ahead, but we've got to put Denver behind us,” Goff said. “We know what we're capable of doing now.”

        The players aren't getting into the business of predicting wins and losses.

        A handful were here when the Bengals started 1-6 in 1996, then finished 7-2 after Bruce Coslet replace Dave Shula as coach.

        “Does it mean anything if we don't build on it? No, it doesn't,” LeBeau said.

        Backup quarterback Scott Mitchell was in a somewhat similar situation in 1995, when he was the Detroit Lions' starting QB. Detroit started 0-3 before Mitchell led the Lions to a 10-6 finish and an NFC wild-card berth.

        “We have nine games left, and I've been places where we've been able to pull off a pretty good season in this situation,” Mitchell said. “There's a lot of games left, and there's a lot of teams that are kind of leveled in the middle.

        “There's definitely time to salvage something from the season.”

        Brown, whose father Paul coached the Bengals' 7-0 finish to that 1970 season, said comparisons cannot be made. Longtime fans recall quarterback Virgil Carter directing the Bengals' closing flourish that year, which ended with a 17-0 first-round playoff loss to the old Baltimore Colts.

        “I'm not going to draw that analogy (to 1970),” Brown said. “We have a lot to do before you can consider us in that category. We're just glad for having won this last week, after having gone so long without winning.”

        Lest anyone forget, the Bengals also started 0-4 last year. They beat Cleveland to go 1-4, then lost six straight games to fall to 1-10. They finished 4-12.

        They are now 8-31 since the beginning of 1998.

        “We've got a lot of work in front of us,” LeBeau said. “Let's not kid ourselves.”

Repeat of 1970 miracle unlikely Dillon spends week in spotlight

UC, Miami playing for similar stakes
Happy homecoming for Martin
UC-St. Louis game rescheduled
XU has choices at shooting guard
Williams took back road to NBA career
Piniella will listen to Reds
1975 World Series: Game 6
Would real Miami please stand up?
Miami's Shorts out with sprained ankle
Complete prep football coverage at Enquirer.com/prepfootball
Victories should put West Hi, Fairfield in playoffs
Western Hills 35, Walnut Hills 12
Fairfield 24, Winton Woods 7
Boone County 10, Simon Kenton 7
N.Ky. teams advance in state volleyball
N.Ky. soccer all-stars
Mighty Ducks 5, Rochester 3
Cyclones 3, Orlando 2
Mount St. Joe volleyball team at pivotal point

• Return to Bengals front page...