CINCINNATI — Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer doesn't hesitate to attach the word "huge" to the fifth game of the season.
Given that the Bengals have produced one winning record since 1990, no one can blame him.
Cincinnati has specialized in last-minute heroics in taking a 3-1 record into a road game Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens that will determine the early AFC North leader.
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"Baltimore is going to be very tough," Palmer says. "But it would be huge to start out 3-0 in the division, and that's the goal now."
Given that the Bengals have produced one winning record since 1990, no one can blame him.
Cincinnati has specialized in last-minute heroics in taking a 3-1 record into a road game Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens that will determine the early AFC North leader.
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"Baltimore is going to be very tough," Palmer says. "But it would be huge to start out 3-0 in the division, and that's the goal now."
Cincinnati has eked out division wins in each of its last two games. The Bengals edged the defending Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers 23-20 for their first victory against them at Paul Brown Stadium since 2001.
Palmer led a chorus of players who urged seventh-year coach Marvin Lewis to take a shot at winning when he was prepared to settle for an overtime tie in Cleveland vs. the Browns last Sunday. Palmer scrambled for 15 yards on fourth-and-11 to position Shayne Graham's game-winning field goal for another 23-20 decision as time expired.
Cincinnati, which started last year by losing its first eight games, is quietly building on a strong second-half finish from 2008 in which it went 4-3-1 and swept its last three games.
"There's a new attitude in this locker room and a new attitude in this facility," says offensive tackle Andre Whitworth, adding, "I really think this team approaches games with a different mindset. We know our identity and we put our heads down and fight."
Palmer led a chorus of players who urged seventh-year coach Marvin Lewis to take a shot at winning when he was prepared to settle for an overtime tie in Cleveland vs. the Browns last Sunday. Palmer scrambled for 15 yards on fourth-and-11 to position Shayne Graham's game-winning field goal for another 23-20 decision as time expired.
Cincinnati, which started last year by losing its first eight games, is quietly building on a strong second-half finish from 2008 in which it went 4-3-1 and swept its last three games.
"There's a new attitude in this locker room and a new attitude in this facility," says offensive tackle Andre Whitworth, adding, "I really think this team approaches games with a different mindset. We know our identity and we put our heads down and fight."