By Mark Curnutte
The Cincinnati Enquirer

For a game that figures to have no playoff implications, the Bengals-Texans meeting today created quite a stir this past week.

First, after the Bengals lost Sunday to Tennessee to remain winless, and the Texans won for the second time, Houston was installed as the favorite for today.

Then, not once, but three times, Bengals coach Dick LeBeau spoke confidently of winning.

That didn't sit well with the 2-5 Texans. Defensive lineman Gary Walker said it wasn't Houston that looked like the expansion team.

Bengals president Mike Brown, in New York for league meetings, missed most of the buzz.

"What I saw was the question, `Where are we now, having lost seven games?'" Brown said. "I thought the rejoinder Dick made was along the lines of: `We haven't quit here. If we play like we played in this game (against Tennessee), we'll win one and maybe soon.'"

The game's line is even, with Houston's home-field advantage at Reliant Stadium giving the Texans a three-point edge.

"It isn't anything we're proud about. You don't want to be the underdog, as we are, to an expansion team," Brown said. "That says something about us that isn't what we like to hear. This team has a lot of good players. They have a number of veteran players who would help any pro team."

A loss today would give the Bengals at least eight losses in 12 consecutive seasons and would guarantee them a 12th non-winning season in a row.

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