National Football League

Bengals-Titans Preview

Published Nov. 3, 2011 3:34 p.m. ET

foxsports

Although their upcoming schedule could be rough, the streaking Cincinnati Bengals are pleased with being a half-game out of first place in the AFC North.

Despite being in the same position in their division, the Tennessee Titans aren't as excited about the state of their team.

The Bengals will try to win five straight for the first time in 23 years Sunday in Nashville, where they'll face a Titans team looking to get its NFL-worst running game in gear.

With a four-week stretch that features two matchups with Pittsburgh and one with Baltimore and Cleveland that follows this game, the Bengals (5-2) will face a stiff test against their division foes that could make or break their season.

Cincinnati, though, has surpassed last year's win total of four and matched its best start since 1990. The club reached the postseason the last three times it opened 5-2 - in 1990, 2005 and 2009.

"I think we set out not to do anything less (than making the playoffs)," offensive tackle Andrew Whitworth told the Bengals' official website following a 34-12 victory at Seattle on Sunday. "That's what we're shooting for. We're going for team wins any way we can get them."

The Bengals, tied with Baltimore and one-half game behind Pittsburgh, are seeking their first five-game run since opening with six wins in 1988 - their last season with a Super Bowl appearance.

If Cincinnati can continue to get points from all three units - Andy Dalton threw two TDs, Reggie Nelson returned an interception 75 yards and Brandon Tate brought back a punt 56 yards Sunday - there's a good chance the team could make a run at its second playoff appearance in three years.

Perhaps the most important factor in that push is defense, as the team ranks fourth with 297.4 yards and 17.6 points allowed per game.

"We did good things I think in all three phases and things that we have to do better. It's where we are,'' coach Marvin Lewis said after moving past Sam Wyche with a team-record 65th win. "I hope I just keep standing here and telling you the same things for the rest of the season, the next nine weeks after this because that is the way it is."

The Bengals' running game hasn't been overly impressive, ranking 21st with 103.4 yards a contest, but that unit could get a boost from the return of Cedric Benson. The club's leading rusher served a one-game suspension last week for violating the NFL's conduct policy.

While the Cincinnati should be happy to have Benson available, Tennessee is desperate to get their top back going. Chris Johnson continued to struggle last week, rushing for 34 yards on 14 carries in a 27-10 victory over visiting Indianapolis on Sunday.

Johnson has rushed for 302 yards this season and again heard boos from the home fans.

The Titans (4-3), just behind Houston in the AFC South, are rushing for 68.9 yards per game. Coach Mike Munchak said Monday that Johnson will continue to start ahead of Javon Ringer, who had all but one of the carries in fourth quarter last week.

The third-year player set career highs with 60 rushing yards and 42 receiving.

"There's no rhyme or reason to (make a change) right now. If there was, I'd let you know,'' Munchak said. "We're just trying to get something fixed that hasn't been as productive as we'd like, and we're not doing anything different."

The results might not be much different as Tennessee faces a Bengals rush defense yielding 85.4 yards per contest - second in the NFL.

If the Titans can't get their ground game going, they'll have to keep leaning on quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, who knows the offense has to improve after going three-and-out four times and totaling 311 yards against the Colts. He threw for 224 yards and had a 14-yard TD to Nate Washington.

"There's a lot to correct, but I'm very excited about the win,'' Hasselbeck said after helping the Titans snap a two-game skid. "I wish we were all more excited. That's a good win for us at home."

The Titans are 3-1 at home after going 3-5 last season.

At 3-1, Cincinnati is off to its best road start since opening 4-0 two years ago.

This is the teams' first meeting since the Titans' 24-7 road victory Sept. 14, 2008. The Bengals won 31-23 on Oct. 16, 2005, in their last visit to Nashville.