By Mark Curnutte
The Cincinnati Enquirer

This is uncharted territory for a half generation of Bengals fans.

The Bengals upset previously undefeated Kansas City 24-19 on Sunday and moved - using the NFL's tie-breaking formula - into first place in the AFC North.

PHOTO GALLERY

Photos of Sunday's game

They are 5-5, same as Baltimore, which the Bengals defeated in October. The Bengals have their best 10-game record since they started 6-4 in 1990, not coincidentally the last time they were in first place this late in a season and the last time they qualified for the playoffs.

"From the time we got started, we said we were going to bring the NFL back here," said Gatorade-soaked coach Marvin Lewis, who has changed the organization's losing culture since his January hiring.

The victory over the 9-0 Chiefs before a record Bengals home crowd of 64,923 and a flock of national media is the franchise's most important since the AFC wild card game following the 1990 season.

After an 0-3 start this year, the Bengals are 5-2, with three of the victories coming against division leaders Baltimore, Seattle and Kansas City.

Just about everything that could have gone right did for the Bengals.

They made the big plays. Wide receiver Peter Warrick had a 68-yard punt return for a touchdown and followed that with a 77-yard touchdown reception from Jon Kitna on the next play from scrimmage.

Kansas City's big-play offense and special teams were held in check. The Chiefs' longest play was Dante Hall's 32-yard kickoff return in the third quarter.

One group of Bengals picked up another throughout the game.

When special teams and offense struggled in the first half, the Bengals' defense kept the game close. The Chiefs, which entered with an NFL-best 31.9 points a game scoring average, started their first two drives from their 48-yard line. But the defense forced the Chiefs into three-and-out punts both times.

Though the Chiefs would score two fourth-quarter touchdowns, the Bengals prevented tailback Priest Holmes from breaking loose. Holmes' 98 yards from scrimmage were 42 less than his average and the first time all season he was held below 100 combined yards. His 62 rushing yards were his fewest.

The Bengals' offense and special teams picked up the defense in the second half.

After Kansas City scored on a 39-yard Morten Andersen field goal to open the third quarter and take a 6-3 lead, the Bengals' offense answered. A 13-yard Kitna pass to rookie fullback Jeremi Johnson capped a 10-play, 63-yard drive for a 10-6 lead. The Bengals would not trail again.

After Warrick's punt return for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter, the Chiefs came back one series later with a 12-yard touchdown pass from Trent Green to tight end Tony Gonzalez to close to 17-12. Bengals safety Rogers Beckett deflected Green's pass on the failed two-point conversion try.

With 6:18 remaining in the game and a five-point lead, the Bengals might have thought about trying to run out the clock with tailback Rudi Johnson - who finished with 165 yards, his third 100-yard rushing performance in four starts.

But on the first play, from their 23, the Bengals went for the kill. Kitna looked off primary receiver Chad Johnson, who was running a crossing pattern, and threw deep to Warrick. He caught the ball at the Chiefs' 40, broke cornerback Eric Warfield's tackle and ran into the end zone.

"Today was just my day to shine," said Warrick, who added that he hasn't had as much fun playing football since his Florida State team won the 1999 NCAA title in the Sugar Bowl.

Kitna shone, too. The quarterback threw two touchdown passes and no interceptions. He has 11 touchdowns and just one interception in the five victories.

"I wanted our team to feel like the Chiefs were almost unbeatable," Kitna said. "I knew with our backs against the wall, we would bring it. When we played Arizona, we didn't have the right attitude."

The Cardinals are the only team to beat the Bengals in the five games since the bye.

The victory also made a prophet of Chad Johnson, who had guaranteed a Bengals victory against the Chiefs.

"That's the hard part about it," Gonzalez said. "I wanted to shut him up and send him home with a loss - a big loss - but they came out and backed it up."

Look who's atop the North

Team	Record
Cincinnati	5-5
Baltimore	5-5
Cleveland	4-6
Pittsburgh	3-6

Sunday's results

• Cincinnati 24, KC 19

• Cleveland 44, Arizona 6

• Miami 9, Baltimore 6,

• Today's game: Pittsburgh at San Francisco, 9 p.m. TV: Chs. 9, 2

Next week's games

• Cincinnati at San Diego, 4:15 p.m.

• Pittsburgh at Cleveland, 1 p.m.

• Seattle at Baltimore, 1 p.m.

Takin' down the biggies

The Bengals' victory over the Chiefs Sunday was their third win over a first-place team at Paul Brown Stadium this season. They previously beat Baltimore and Seattle.

No perfect 10

The Chiefs failed to become the first team since 1998 to start 10-0.

Dolphins rule

The Bengals' victory Sunday ensured that the 1972 Miami Dolphins are still the last team to go undefeated.

By the numbers

64,923: Sunday's attendance, a new Paul Brown Stadium record for a Bengals game.

1990: Last time the Bengals were in first place at this point in a season.

212: Total yards for Bengals wide receiver Peter Warrick on Sunday.

145: Yards gained on Warrick's two second-half touchdowns - a 68-yard punt return and 77-yard pass.

120.5: Average rushing yards for Bengals running back Rudi Johnson the past four games.

102.7: Bengals quarterback Jon Kitna's rating Sunday.

85.9: Kitna's QB rating this season.

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