The Bengals (2-6) are hotter than the St. Louis Rams (7-1) and the Minnesota Vikings (7-1). That's how quickly things can turn in the NFL, which has had its most unpredictable half-season in memory.

        Though few observers mistake the Bengals for a playoff contender, the team has won two straight games. The Rams and Vikings are both 1-1 in that span.

        The Bengals once seemed destined for an 0-16 season. The Rams were a lock for 16-0.

        But now, the Rams have allowed 54 points and lost. The Vikings allowed 41 points and lost.

        The Bengals have allowed 24 points. In their past two games combined.

        What's going on here?

        “In this league, it's the little things that make the difference and turn the momentum,” Bengals cornerback Tom Carter said. “Some things you might think trivial can all add up, like being on time for meetings or no music in the locker room.”

        The latter items refer to the Bengals, who claim to be “more disciplined” and “on the same page” since Dick LeBeau replaced Bruce Coslet as coach Sept.25.

        Will momentum help the Bengals Sunday vs. Baltimore (5-4), which has lost three straight games?

        “I really don't know the answer to that,” LeBeau said. “But I'd sure rather be sitting here with that question than if we didn't have the two wins. I'm hoping it will help us.”

        Carter, an eight-year NFL veteran, has seen it from both sides. He has seen the Bengals breathe with new life, with Corey Dillon's NFL record 278-yard rushing day fueling the two-game win streak.

        Carter also played on the 1996 Washington Redskins, who started 7-1 but finished 9-7 — and missed the playoffs.

        “We had a couple of injuries, and we lost focus of what we were doing on defense,” Carter said. “Just little, small things, and each week we just kind of lost our confidence. We went from thinking "Super Bowl,' to running through the whole league at 15-1, to the wheels falling off.”

        The window of opportunity opens and closes quickly in an age where parity, in theory, is the order of the day. But how do you explain the Rams going from 4-12 to Super Bowl champs in one season?

        “The league's protests aside, the quality of the game has suffered in recent years,” said Len Pasquarelli, NFL writer for CBS.Sportsline.com. “But, that sense of unpredictability that pervades almost every weekend continues to make the league the most compelling of all professional sports.”

        From the Ripley's file in 2000:

        • Dillon broke the NFL single-game rushing record with 278 yards vs. Denver on Oct.22 — against the league's No.2 rushing defense.

        • The Rams (7-1) have scored 30 or more points in an NFL-record 14 straight games but still lost once, 54-34 to Kansas City.

        • Pittsburgh (5-3) started 0-3, and some power rank ings had the Steelers 31st in the NFL. Now, a stout defense has them thinking playoffs.

        • San Diego (0-8) came within 13 seconds of beating Oakland (7-1) on Sunday.

        • Baltimore (5-4) has not scored a touchdown in five games, yet is 2-3 in that span.

        • The New York Jets (6-2) scored a team-record 30 points in the fourth quarter on the way to beating Miami, which has one of the league's best defenses, 40-37 in overtime.

        Those are just some of the highlights.

        Cris Carter, the Minnesota Vikings receiver and Middletown/Ohio State product, said the key is to win now. As in right now. As in this week.

        Carter was quoted just before the Vikings, 7-0 at the time, went to Tampa Bay and lost 41-13 last Sunday. “You can't look ahead at all in this league,” Carter said. “Not from one week to the next. Not from one year to the next. You deal with the events as they are right now and try to keep them going your way.”

        For the long haul, you'd still take the Rams and Vikings. You have to like the Tennessee Titans (7-1). And what of Tampa Bay, a trendy Super Bowl pick in the preseason? The Bucs stumbled to a 3-4 start and were written off but are back in vogue after thrashing Minnesota.

        At the other end, you would think the Bengals' little winning streak is a mirage. It was last year, when they won three straight games (Pittsburgh, San Francisco, Cleveland) late in the year before getting waxed by Baltimore (22-0) and Jacksonville (24-7) in the final two weeks.

        Still, Bengals fans want to believe. Their team is an underdog Sunday, but remember: Baltimore's offense is pretty down, and Dillon is hot, and ...

        “Momentum is very powerful,” the Bengals' Carter said. “That's not to be understated. Teams go on streaks all the time, whether it's a winning or a losing streak.

        “If you can just get it to the fourth quarter with a chance to win, that's all a team can ask. Momentum can come and go, just like that.”

Momentum boosts Bengals Dillon's fall scares team

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