NFL players and coaches say every game is a big game.

        But Sunday's Bengals-Browns game really is important for the Bengals. They're even saying so.

        “If we lose, it's not the end of season for us,” center Rich Braham said, “but you can put it as a must-win game for us.”

        A victory would end the Bengals' two-game losing streak, keep them undefeated at home, maintain fans' enthusiasm, renew their confidence heading into two winnable games before their bye week and avenge last season's home loss to Cleveland in the Paul Brown Stadium opener.

        A 3-2 record is a lot better than 2-3. The Bengals haven't been 3-2 since the 1990 team started 4-1. Then again, since 1990, only three times have the Bengals been 2-3 — 1992, '95 and '98.

        A Cincinnati victory also would cool off a hot Cleveland team and pull the Bengals even with the Browns at 3-2.

        Then there is the intrastate rivalry, “bragging rights,” said Bengals cornerback and Cincinnati native Rodney Heath.

        HOME TURF: Protecting the home-field advantage is important, especial ly because the Bengals still have not learned how to win away from home.

        The Bengals are 0-2 this year on the road and 1-8 since the start of the 2000 season. They are an NFL-worst 19-71 on the road since 1990.

        But they're now 5-5 in their new home, 5-4 under coach Dick LeBeau.

        “I've been talking about it since training camp: You need to try to win (all) eight games at home,” quarterback Jon Kitna said. “I think if you lose a game at home, you need to win two on the road.”

        Kitna's formula for making the playoffs has been widely accepted in the clubhouse. Win at home, “steal a couple” victories on the road. Bingo, postseason.

        But pulling off a perfect home record is not as easy as it sounds. The last Bengals team to go 8-0 at home was the 1988 AFC title squad. The 1996 and '97 Bengals were 6-2 at home but 2-6 and 1-7 on

        the road and missed the playoffs.

        12TH MAN: The Bengals also will be playing in front of a sold-out Paul Brown Stadium crowd for only the third time in 11 regular-season games. The other sellouts were in 2000 against regional rivals the Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers, both of whom bring large numbers of fans.

        Bengals players, particularly linebacker and defensive captain Takeo Spikes, have asked for “12th-man” fan support.

        Said Heath, “It's big, especially on defense. It's just energy. When you're tired and you hear the crowd behind you, that's a big plus. Pittsburgh and San Diego had it.”

        The best and only way for the Bengals to ensure more big crowds is to win.

        “We're glad this is a sold-out game,” LeBeau said. “That will come into our thinking.”

        CONFIDENCE: Beating the Browns would help the Bengals regain focus and legitimize a postseason run.

        Cincinnati was 6-33 in October between 1991 and 2000, their darkest month of the schedule. Their playoff chances fell to the ground like dying leaves.

        This October's schedule features four winnable games. The Bengals already are 0-1 in October after losing at Pittsburgh — make that 6-34 — and games against the Browns and next week against the Chicago Bears at home aren't as winnable as they were once believed.

        The Browns are improved under coach Butch Davis. And the Bears are 2-1 heading into a home game Sunday against Arizona.

        The Bengals will close the month at Detroit, which is 0-3 and has been outscored 87-20.

        REVENGE: The Browns spoiled the opener in Paul Brown Stadium by thumping the Bengals 24-7.

        LeBeau hasn't let his team forget the embarrassment.

        “We might mention it a time or two,” LeBeau said. “They beat us decisively.”

        Defensive end Vaughn Booker, like Heath a Cincinnati native, doesn't remember any of the Bengals-Browns games he might have watched as a child. The one that sticks with him is the spoiled stadium opener.

        “They came in, they beat us,” Booker said. “There's a little bit of revenge factor out there. We're approaching it that way.”

        Not only would a Bengals victory even their series with the Browns at 28-28-0, it would be a win over an opponent now viewed with respect. The Browns have won three in a row and have the league's fifth-ranked defense. They're tied with the Ravens at 3-1 atop the AFC Central.

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