By Shannon Russell
The Cincinnati Enquirer

The day after the Bengals' 12th defeat, quarterback Jon Kitna visited the aquarium. Cornerback Kevin Kaesviharn spent time with his wife, Michelle, and 6-week-old son, Kristian. Punter Nick Harris worked out.

A two-day detour, which included a Monday reprieve and the normal Tuesday off, didn't erase the problems of a 1-12 season. But the relaxed and rejuvenated Bengals returned to practice Wednesday with hopes of, well, saving face.

"Hopefully, (the days off) gave everyone a chance to refresh and get away from things. We'll see," Kitna said. "Because of the way things have gone this season, it's really coming down to each man's individual motivation."

With playoff hopes long squashed in a season riddled with missed opportunities and costly mistakes, the Bengals must win two of their next three games to tie a 3-13 franchise-worst record. Should they lose to the Jacksonville Jaguars and New Orleans Saints, they'd be the only club in the franchise's 34-year history to go winless at home.

With little more than their reputation at stake, the Bengals are desperate for another victory. Their next opportunity will be Sunday at Paul Brown Stadium, against former AFC Central rival Jacksonville.

"Hopefully with a win, it would strengthen a little more positive attitudes for everyone," Kaesviharn said. "We're really not a 1-12 team - I think we're better than that."

Jacksonville isn't satisfied with its 5-8 record. Five of the Jaguars' losses have been by three or fewer points. They've had their share of thrillers, most recently Tim Couch's final-play, 50-yard Hail Mary pass to Quincy Morgan in the Cleveland Browns' 21-20 win at Jacksonville on Sunday.

"This is our best chance," Harris said. "I don't know how we match up with Jacksonville on stats, but we play the same teams."

The Jaguars and the Bengals have lost to five of the same opponents: Cleveland, Indianapolis, Tennessee, Houston and Pittsburgh. Houston, the only team the Bengals have defeated, split with Jacksonville.

Jaguars quarterback Mark Brunell has thrown for 2,451 yards and 14 touchdowns. His favorite target is Jimmy Smith, who has 67 catches for 880 yards and five touchdowns.

Fred Taylor remains an offensive cornerstone. The fifth-year running back has posted five 100-yard-plus rushing games this season. Ranked sixth in the NFL in rushing, Taylor has 1,153 yards and seven touchdowns.

The Bengals, who have the league's third-worst rush defense, are allowing 135.5 yards per game. Thanks to Taylor, Jacksonville has the NFL's eighth-best rushing attack, averaging 134.7 yards per game.

The Bengals continue to struggle with turnovers, which could be a big factor Sunday. They've had 15 takeaways and 26 giveaways. Jacksonville is a polar opposite, with 24 takeaways and 13 giveaways.

Both teams are destined for non-winning seasons; the best the Jags could finish is 8-8.

The good news for the Bengals is that December has arrived, and it is historically their winningest month.

The bad news is the Bengals have squandered halftime leads in their last two losses. They've led at the half only four times this season, including their 38-3 win at Houston.

The Jaguars, meanwhile, tend to come up big in the second and fourth quarters. In the first quarter, they've scored only 31 of their 276 points.

For the Bengals to win, they must start and finish strong, which has been a struggle all year. The Bengals' best quarter is the second, where they've scored 79 of their 235 points.

Despite the two-day break, a handful of starters are nursing injuries. Kitna has a sore throwing shoulder, wide receiver Peter Warrick is recovering from lung bruises, and cornerback Artrell Hawkins has a thigh contusion.

LeBeau has made no lineup changes, and says he is done "experimenting" with roster adjustments following Travis Dorsch's punting problems at Carolina.

Still, the mood in the Bengals' locker room is positive. Whether it comes from the potential to win or relief that the season is nearly over remains to be seen.

"This isn't only a this-week business, this is a this-week life," LeBeau said. "Life is about living what's down the road in front of you. There isn't very much you can do about what happened in the past. There will be plenty of time to feel sorry for anything in February and March. Now is the time to focus on the week coming up, and I think our guys do a good job of doing that."

Weighing in

Can the Bengals win their first home game of the season Sunday? Their former AFC Central foe, Jacksonville, has the edge.

	Bengals	Jaguars
Consecutive losses	5	3
Fourth down %	37.5	73.7
Net yards rushing	1,341	1,751
Net yards passing	2,825	2,299
Interceptions thrown	17	8
Penalties/yards	78/710	70/533
Fourth-quarter points	58	96
Rushing touchdowns	9	17

E-mail srussell@enquirer.com

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