Sunday, October 21, 2001
Playoffs no longer mirage for Bengals, Bears
By JOE KAY
AP Sports Writer
On that delightfully warm August evening, things looked as dreadful as ever for two of the NFL's lowly teams. Fans streamed out of Soldier Field long before the clock ran out Aug. 4 in the preseason opener. The Chicago Bears had to go overtime to beat the Bengals 16-13 in a game full of gaffes and goofs.
All of the early signs pointed to another bad year for the Bears, who haven't had a winning season since 1995. It was just another bad loss for the Bengals, the NFL's worst team since 1991.
Look at them now.
These long-standing partners in misery are two of the NFL's bigger surprises as autumn settles into the Midwest. The Bears are 3-1, their best start since '91. The Bengals are 3-2, their best beginning since 1990.
Who would have thought this? Certainly not anyone who saw that first preseason game.
“That just tells you about the NFL,” Bears quarterback Jim Miller said. “There is a lot of parity.”
The Bears and Bengals have been two of the biggest beneficiaries, getting off to better-than-expected starts on the strength of defense and turnovers.
Chicago has returned fumbles for touchdowns in each of the last two games. Brian Urlacher ran one back 90 yards against Atlanta, and R.W. McQuarters returned one 69 yards against Arizona.
The offense hasn't had to do all that much because the defense has been so good, setting up 27 points and an unexpected turnaround.
“Last year we started 0-4 and it's really hard to dig yourself out of a hole,” Urlacher said. “This makes all the difference; 3-1 is a good start, but that's all it is.”
Same for the Bengals. They pulled off one of the season's biggest upsets so far, beating Baltimore 21-10 by forcing six turnovers.
The offense has done just enough to complement Corey Dillon's running, and the defense has done just enough to keep fans thinking they might finally get to enjoy that long-awaited winning season.
After consecutive losses dropped their record to a more familiar 2-2 and left fans frowning, a 24-14 win over Cleveland last Sunday got them mildly interested.
“People last week were like, 'Oh, same old Bengals,”' offensive tackle Willie Anderson said. “Now this week it's, “Oh! The Bengals!”'
One of the two will get another confidence-building win Sunday in Cincinnati, which isn't exactly abuzz over the game. It won't be shown on local television because thousands of tickets remained unsold Thursday.
The Bengals have sold out only three of their 12 games at Paul Brown Stadium — one against Pittsburgh and two against Cleveland, both of which bring thousands of fans with them.
The Bengals have won five in a row at home since the end of last season, finally turning their new stadium into a home-field advantage. The fans haven't quite kept up.
“I hope our crowd keeps getting louder and louder each game,” Anderson said. “They're still having problems learning when to cheer. Teams that win a lot, their stadiums know when to get loud.”
Bengals fans have an excuse: They've gotten out of practice during a losing decade. The Bengals have been particularly uninspiring at home, going 6-18 from 1998-2000.
All three of their wins this season have come at home, giving them a rallying point.
“We still have a chance to be 8-0 at home, which is what I've been harping on,” quarterback Jon Kitna said. “If you keep 8-0 at home, you only need two or three wins on the road and you're in.”
In the playoffs, he means.
While the Bengals dream of running the home table, the Bears are aiming for their first four-game winning streak since 1995. The current three-game streak includes a 31-3 win at Atlanta that was their most lopsided victory in eight years.
The road hasn't been a big problem. They want to keep it that way.
“It's always fun to go into someone else's stadium where it's loud, it's hostile,” Urlacher said. “It's a good chance to see if we measure up against one of the better teams in the league at this point of the season.”
The Bengals and Bears two of the league's better teams? Things sure have changed since that night in August.
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Playoffs no longer mirage for Bengals, Bears
