By Shannon Russell
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Jacksonville running back Fred Taylor has never been a Bengal, but he knows the frustration of playing for a losing team.

Not much will be on the line Sunday when the 1-12 Bengals host the 5-8 Jaguars at Paul Brown Stadium. The Bengals have lost five games in a row and are winless at home; the Jags have dropped their last three games and can finish .500 at best.

"I hate losing," Taylor said. "It's a bad feeling in your gut, that you're losing. I'm pretty sure the guys up there in Cincinnati understand that same type of feeling. No matter if there's one game left and you're 1-14, it matters."

The Jaguars, who are all but eliminated from playoff contention, haven't had a winning season since 1999. But they've defeated the Bengals in nine of their last 11 meetings and have capitalized on Cincinnati's 12 straight non-winning seasons.

Taylor included.

Taylor ranks sixth among running backs with 1,153 yards and seven touchdowns this season. After a 2001 groin injury allowed him to play in only two games, he has bounced back with five 100-yard rushing performances.

When his speed and experience come up against the Bengals' rush defense - the NFL's third-worst - expect some Taylor-made fireworks. Since 1998, he has faced the Bengals five times and rushed for an average 91 yards a game.

But because of his injury, Taylor hasn't played the Bengals since Dec. 17, 2000. He rushed for only 10 yards and scored a touchdown in that game, a 17-14 Bengals win.

"When you watch the film, they're pretty aggressive. They're a pretty nice defense," Taylor said of the Bengals. "I don't know how they average giving up 130 yards per game. It surprises me to see that they're ranked that low and are giving up that much yardage, rushing-wise."

The Bengals and Jags, former AFC Central foes, have had a lot in common this season. They've played five of the same opponents. They've thrown away leads and lost heartbreakers.

Jacksonville's nucleus has been in a state of flux since the offseason because of salary-cap moves, and the team features 18 new veteran players and seven rookies. In Houston's expansion draft alone, the Jaguars lost offensive tackle Tony Boselli and defensive tackles Seth Payne and Gary Walker.

"We've done everything we thought we could to get back in the position to be highly competitive. We started out 3-1 and hoped we could sustain that. It hasn't been the case," Jaguars coach Tom Coughlin said. "But has it been what we expected, in that every game would be hard-pressed and decided by one or two plays? It exactly has been that."

Jacksonville has lost eight games by a total of 33 points. Its last three losses, to Dallas, Pittsburgh and Cleveland, have been by a combined five points.

Four players have 100-yard rushing efforts against the Bengals this season - San Diego's LaDainian Tomlinson, Pittsburgh's Jerome Bettis, Tennessee's Eddie George and Baltimore's Jamal Lewis (twice).

Could Taylor be next? He has 325 yards and two touchdowns in the Jags' last three losses.

It's enough to worry Bengals coach Dick LeBeau.

"We're thinking of putting about 15 guys out there and hoping he trips on one or two of them," LeBeau joked. "Seriously, he's a great back, and we're not the only team that's had trouble stopping Fred Taylor. If we're going to win this game, we're going to have to cut his rushing yards down."

Fred Taylor vs. the Bengals

A look at Jacksonville's top running back's rushing games against Cincinnati teams.

Year	Host	Att.	Yds.	TD
1998	Jacksonville	27	118	1
1998	Cincinnati	6	16	0
1999	Cincinnati	15	128	1
1999	Jacksonville	22	85	2
2000	Jacksonville	*
2000	Cincinnati	32	10	1
2001	Jacksonville	*
2001	Cincinnati	*

* inactive

E-mail srussell@enquirer.com

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