The Cincinnati Bengals earned their first road win in nearly a year last week, but it wasn’t pretty. Their play in the rugged AFC North hasn’t been aesthetically pleasing either.
It has, however, been extremely effective.
Cincinnati will try to extend its division-record winning streak to eight games on Sunday when it visits the lowly Cleveland Browns, who have lost nine of their last division contests.
The defending AFC North champions have started 2010 in underwhelming fashion. The Bengals opened with an embarrassing 38-24 loss to New England and failed to score an offensive touchdown in a 15-10 win over Baltimore.
Sunday’s 20-7 win over Carolina ended a five-game road losing streak, but also left a lot to be desired.
Carson Palmer struggled against a young Panthers defense and the Bengals (2-1) couldn’t put Carolina away until he hit Cedric Benson for a 7-yard touchdown with 8:11 left in the fourth.
Palmer finished 19 of 37 for 195 yards and two interceptions. He had a passer rating (53.3) lower than Carolina rookie Jimmy Clausen, who was making his first career start.
Palmer and the Bengals haven’t encountered many problems against AFC North foes recently - particularly the in-state rival Browns (0-3).
The Bengals have won nine of the 11 meetings, which is the longest stretch of dominance since the series began in 1970.
Last season’s 16-7 win in Cincinnati helped the Bengals become the first team to win all six division games since the AFC North was established in 2002.
The Browns, meanwhile, were surprisingly competitive against the Ravens last week and will try to hand the Bengals their first division loss since Nov. 20, 2008.
Cleveland was without quarterback Jake Delhomme (ankle) for a second straight week, as well as running back Jerome Harrison, but the hard running of Peyton Hillis nearly helped the Browns spring the upset.
Hillis ran for a career-high 144 yards on 22 carries in the 24-17 loss, becoming the first Cleveland running back to rush for 100 yards against Baltimore. It was also the most rushing yards allowed by the Ravens since 2005.
Running behind one of the best offensive lines in football, Hillis could do similar damage against the Bengals.
That would benefit an unsettled quarterback situation. Delhomme returned to practice Thursday for the first time in two weeks but clearly was not 100 percent.
Seneca Wallace will start again if Delhomme can’t play. Wallace was 18 of 24 for 141 yards with a touchdown against Baltimore. The journeyman has completed 34 of 55 passes for 370 yards with two touchdowns and one interception in two starts.
Cincinnati swept the season series in 2009 and has won three straight overall vs. Cleveland. The Browns haven’t beaten the Bengals since a 20-12 win on Sept. 28, 2008.