By Mark Curnutte
The Cincinnati Enquirer

The challenge to even their record at 1 couldn't be much more difficult Sunday for the Bengals.

Coming off a 30-10 loss at home to Denver, the Bengals will play the defending AFC Champion Raiders in Oakland, where they are 0-8 as a franchise.

The Bengals did beat the Raiders once on the road, but it took place when the franchise was in Los Angeles in 1988. This trip is filled with bad karma.

The Bengals have lost eight in a row in California. Their last win in the Golden State was in overtime on Oct. 7, 1990, a 34-31 decision over the Los Angeles Rams at Anaheim Stadium.

The Bengals haven't fared much better up and down the West Coast.

Including games played in Seattle and Arizona, the Bengals have lost seven in a row out west. They last won Nov. 6, 1994, 20-17 in overtime over Seattle at the Kingdome.

The Raiders are 0-1 after losing 25-20 Sunday night at Tennessee, which means the Bengals will not be able to break another notorious streak.

The Bengals have a 39-game losing streak on the road against teams with winning records. The Bengals last beat a winning team on the road on Dec. 2, 1990, with a 16-12 decision at Pittsburgh against a Steelers team that entered the game with a 6-5 record.

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