The performance of the Bengals' offensive line has become a barometer for whether the team wins or loses.

        The line recorded its second dominating game of the season in Sunday's 24-14 victory against Cleveland, and the Bengals won both times. The line played well enough against Baltimore, helping generate 203 yards of offense, and the Bengals had another victory.

        But in the Bengals' two losses, the line played poorly. They were held to 65 yards rushing at Pittsburgh, and until Curtis Keaton busted loose for 44 garbage yards late at San Diego, the Bengals had just 67 yards on the ground.

        “Sometimes it's a sequence of plays. Sometimes it just doesn't go your way in a football game,” coach Dick LeBeau said Monday, a day after the Bengals ran for a season-high 199 yards and passed for 201 yards. “We executed better.”

        The Browns came in with the league's fifth-ranked defense, allowing 262.5 yards a game. The Bengals hit them for 400 yards even, running 80 plays to 50 for the Browns and controlling the ball for 36 minutes, 23 seconds.

        The line didn't allow a sack, though quarterback Jon Kitna threw 38 passes. The line, sharing credit with improved blocking from running backs on blitz pickup, has allowed just seven sacks for 50 yards in loss this season, compared to 20 sacks through five games a year ago.

        The line is on pace to set a franchise record for fewest sacks in a season, 22, which would break the 14-game record of 24 sacks allowed in 1972 and '73.

        The improved pass protection is by design. The Bengals have worked long and hard since May's minicamp to incorporate new protection schemes brought in by offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski.

        After some preseason bumps, the line stands eighth-best in the league in sacks per game.

        Right tackle Willie Anderson thinks the focus on pass protection may have led to the slip in run blocking.

        “Our goal is to go in there and shut people out in the passing game,” Anderson said. “A lot of times we forget about our running game because it comes first nature to us. We got to that this past week in practice, and getting back to our leverage and playing power football.”

        Gone from last year's line is former left tackle Rod Jones, now a backup in St. Louis. In is Richmond Webb, who hasn't lost his ability to move speed rushers past his quarterback.

        Back are starters Anderson, guards Mike Goff and Matt O'Dwyer and center Rich Braham. The quintet has started every game this season.

        Kitna has benefitted from the pass protection. He has been sacked just once per every 24 pass plays.

        But the Bengals are a running team. Two-time Pro Bowler Corey Dillon had 140 yards rushing against the Browns on 31 carries. Both of those numbers add up to victories. The Bengals are 15-5 when Dillon gets at least 22 attempts, 12-8 when he rushes for more than 100 yards and 8-0 at 130 yards or more.

        “That's our identity,” Dillon said. “We're a good running team, and we can pass the ball. The offensive line did a great job in the passing game and running game.”

        For the game, the Bengals averaged 4.7 yards on 42 attempts.

        The Bengals will face another challenge Sunday when the 3-1 Chicago Bears come to town with the seventh-ranked rush defense at 87 yards a game.

        “Sometimes you go in with a good game plan, and sometimes you don't execute it,” said Braham, who was presented with a game ball for his performance against the Browns. “Then sometimes you go in with a game plan that doesn't quite work well, and you adjust it.”

        There's no secret what the Bengals like to do.

        “Truthfully, the game plan every week is we're going to run our 16s and 17s and adjust to how they're attacking it,” Braham said. “That's Corey going to the right and Corey going to the left. And that's what we try to do, and he runs that well.”

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