Corey Dillon gave the Bengals a brief scare Friday. Late in practice, Dillon was knocked down and didn't get up for nearly a minute.

        Finally, Dillon arose and walked gingerly. He returned to practice moments later and ran with no apparent problems.

        “He got kicked in the thigh, and he's got a charley horse,” LeBeau said. “He's OK.”

        Dillon has rushed for 415 yards the past two games, including his NFL-record 278 yards vs. Denver on Oct.22. The Bengals, thanks largely to Dillon, are 2-0 after starting the season 0-6.

        Dillon has rushed for 738 yards this season, which puts him on pace to finish with 1,476. The team record is 1,239 yards by James Brooks in 1989.

        LEST WE FORGET: Sunday's opponent, Baltimore, beat the Bengals 37-0 on Sept.24. It was Bruce Coslet's final game as coach and was one of the low points in Bengals history, tying the franchise record for largest defeat.

        After Dillon's record game vs. Denver and an unsurprising win at Cleveland, Baltimore could be a true test of how the Bengals have progressed.

        “I think that might have been mentioned once or twice,” LeBeau said.

        Baltimore (5-4) has not scored a touchdown in five games, but does have the league's No.1 defense.

        FISHER RETURNS: Cornerback Charles Fisher completed his first week of practice in more than a year. He suffered three torn ligaments in his left knee in his NFL debut, the 1999 season opener at Tennessee.

        “I think he did very well this week,' LeBeau said. “He showed no aftereffects whatsoever after two real hard days of practice.”

        Fisher probably is not close to being activated, but the Bengals hope he can return at some point. The 24-year-old Fisher was the team's No.2 draft pick last season.

        SHORT GAME: Akili Smith's longest pass completion this season is 46 yards, to Peter Warrick in the opener, Sept.10 vs. Cleveland.

        Among regular NFL quarterbacks, only New England's Drew Bledsoe (also 46 yards) and the New York Giants' Kerry Collins (40) have not completed a longer pass this season.

        The longest pass so far this season is an 85-yard TD from St.Louis' Kurt Warner to wideout Torry Holt.

        RELAX: Offensive tackle John Jackson, the senior Bengal in terms of NFL experience (13 years), has given some advice to second-year quarterback Smith.

        “The biggest thing I told him is he's got to pretend he's out in the backyard, playing toss and catch,” Jackson said. “To try to make this out to be rocket science is not something you want to do. I see him back there thinking a lot, and you can't be doing it. It's got to be more of a reaction. That just takes time.”

        Smith's quarterback rating is 49.9, which is the lowest among the 31 quarterbacks rated in the weekly NFL statistics. The leader is Warner at 111.6.

        MOVIN' ON UP: Line backer Adrian Ross, who made news by dyeing his hair in Bengals black-and-orange at training camp in 1999, has continued to let his hair grow. And he has taken some ribbing from teammates for his au naturel look.

        “That's why they were playing the Jackson Five (music) for me,” Ross said, smiling. “They're jealous, because half the guys can't even grow this much hair any more, so they're kind of mad about that. You know, they got the George Jefferson thing going.”

        EARLY START: Sunday's game might seem too close to call, even though the Ravens are a six-point favorite. But generally, when a team scores first in the NFL, it wins.

        This season, the Bengals are 1-5 when their opponent scores first. The Ravens are 2-2 in that situation.

Momentum boosts Bengals Dillon's fall scares team

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