By Shannon Russell
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Justin Smith thought for a moment and admitted, "No clue." Artrell Hawkins reluctantly settled on "two." Levi Jones simply abstained from guessing.

The truth is, the fewest number of wins any Bengals team has earned in a single season is three. Which means the one-win Bengals have six games to prove they're not the losing-est team in franchise history.

Since 1978, no Bengals team has fared worse than 3-13. Even the clubs that began 1-9 in 1978, 1991 and 1999 salvaged 3-13 or 4-12 records.

THE HOME STRETCH

Can the Bengals avoid their worst record (3-13) since 1978, when teams began playing a 16-game schedule? A look at what's left: AT PITTSBURGH (5-4-1), Sunday • The Good: Jon Kitna threw for 411 yards vs. Pittsburgh, Dec.30, 2001. • The Bad: The Bengals haven't won in Pittsburgh since Nov.28, 1999. BALTIMORE (4-6), Dec.1 • The Good: Baltimore has the NFL's second-worst offense (278.8 ypg). • The Bad: QB Jeff Blake already has led the Ravens to one victory over his former team - 38-27 on Nov.10. AT CAROLINA (3-7), Dec.8 • The Good: The Panthers have lost seven games in a row. • The Bad: Their defense is fourth-best in the NFL (285.3 ypg). JACKSONVILLE (5-5), Dec.15 • The Good: Jacksonville will be leaving warm weather to play in Cincinnati. • The Bad: The Bengals are 2-9 in their last 11 games against Jacksonville. NEW ORLEANS (7-3), Dec.22 • The Good: The Bengals won the last time they met, 30-15 in 1996. • The Bad: The Saints average a league-high 31 points per game. AT BUFFALO (5-5), Dec.29 • The Good: The Bengals won their 2001 finale, against Tennessee. • The Bad: Buffalo has the league's No.6 offense (374.7 ypg).

"We definitely don't want to be the worst team," Smith said. "But we don't want to be 3-13 - that's terrible, too."

After posting single-digit scoring efforts in five of their first six games, the Bengals have outscored opponents 109-98 in their last four. But goal-line stands, silly mistakes and botched play-calling wrested away potential wins.

The Bengals still face Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Carolina, Jacksonville, New Orleans and Buffalo this season.

So which game do they have the best chance of winning?

"All of them," Jones said. "Why would you go into a game thinking you're going to lose? I seriously believe we can win every game left on the schedule if we play right. If we don't - well, history will repeat itself."

The good news for the Bengals is they have won at least two of the season's last six games since 1999.

The bad news is opponents outscored them 247-78 in their last six games of 2001 and 2000.

AFC North leader Pittsburgh is up next this year, and a Bengals win at Heinz Field would be huge. It not only would shake up the rankings, but also would end the Bengals' three-year win drought at Pittsburgh.

But the Bengals are notoriously weak on the road. Since 1996, no Bengals team has won more than two away games in a season. Despite the 38-3 Houston drubbing, the Bengals have been outscored 119-96 on the road this season.

Baltimore's losing record (4-6) and stagnant offense - the NFL's second-worst at 278.8 yards per game - could make it a viable Bengals target. The same Ravens, however, beat Cincinnati 38-27 two games ago.

The best odds for a win could come Dec.8, if the Bengals can capitalize on Carolina's current seven-game losing streak and elude the NFL's fourth-ranked defense.

With quarterback Jon Kitna revving up to full gear, the Bengals' offense has a chance to repeat the success of its last two 2001 wins. Kitna has thrown for 986 yards, nine touchdowns and three interceptions in his last four games.

He combined to throw for 751 yards, two touchdowns and one interception in the 2001 season's final wins over Pittsburgh and Tennessee.

Browns wide receiver Quincy Morgan said Sunday that neither he nor his teammates could figure out why the Bengals keep losing. He said he never was assured of Cleveland's 27-20 win until time expired Sunday.

Defensive end Smith, who last season set a team record for sacks as a rookie (8.5), has had only three sacks this season. He pointed to the Bengals' second-worst rush defense (137.6 ypg) as one of the problems.

"We all kind of sit around and say, `What the hell is going on?' too. We go in and watch the films and see some of the same mistakes over and over. It just doesn't make any sense," Smith said. "It's going to be a frustrating thing at the end of the year to look back on, because we were expecting such big things which - as of yet - haven't happened."

Hawkins is confident the team will find its bearings in the next six games, as long as players maintain individual focuses and execute. All the talk of potential wins doesn't mean much, he said, until it's backed up on the field.

But he doesn't think the rest of the season will be easy.

"In these last six games it really takes a lot to go out and compete," Hawkins said, "knowing there's no gold at the end of the rainbow."

Email srussell@enquirer.com