CINCINNATI -- The NFL is its own "Bizarro World." This past weekend proved that once again.
That's the good news for the Bengals, who are still trying to figure out what truck Cleveland was driving when the Browns ran over them, 24-3, last Thursday at Paul Brown Stadium. Coaches and players like to say how one week doesn't mean squat when it comes to the next. This season has epitomized that belief across the league.
The Bengals begin a three-game road swing this Sunday at New Orleans. This is the first time since 2003 that the Bengals have been scheduled three consecutive road game. They won at San Diego and Pittsburgh before losing at Baltimore in Marvin Lewis' first season as head coach. After playing the Saints (4-5), the Bengals play at Houston (4-5) and Tampa Bay (1-8).
Three straight games against teams with winning records would normally foretell good tidings for a team on the plus side of .500 but the road hasn't been kind to the Bengals. They are just 2-5 in their last seven road games, dating back to last season, and have been outscored by a combined 70-17 in their most recent games away from PBS at New England and Indianapolis.
"These three are definitely going to be a tough stretch going away like that every week," said left tackle Andrew Whitworth Monday afternoon after the Bengals returned to work from a mini-bye weekend. "Not to mention they aren't far, but not real short trips. It's going to take a heck of an effort these next three weeks in a row here to kind of try and do everything we can to put ourselves in the right situation for December."
The AFC North is right up there in the "Bizarro World" factor. All four teams remain above .500 with the Browns in first place by themselves at 6-3.
It's weird saying that out loud without laughing but there has been nothing funny about how Cleveland has jumped to the front of the line with dominating and convincing wins over Pittsburgh and Cincinnati in the last few weeks. The Browns might have lost at Jacksonville and struggled in beating Oakland and Tampa Bay but what they did to the Steelers and Bengals, beating them by a combined score of 55-13, proved they will be around through December.
Pittsburgh (6-4) had rolled along to three straight home wins over Houston, Indianapolis and Baltimore, including getting 12 touchdown passes from Ben Roethlisberger against the Colts and Ravens, but were shut down by the previously one-win Jets at the Meadowlands. Baltimore struggled early with two-win Tennessee before pulling away for its sixth win in 10 games this season.
"I think you have to realize this year, of all years, that our division is just so tight and all the teams are so equal," said Whitworth. "We've seen it with some of the teams that bounced back and played each other. One week is totally different than the last time they played them. We have that same opportunity with Cleveland coming up. We have a chance to bounce back and go do the same thing to them.
"Our division is going to be a little bit that way. It's a challenging division with a lot of good football teams. So every week can go however it goes. So our key right now is until we get a chance to get back in [division play], these three wins right here in a row would be a great opportunity to put ourselves right where we need to be."
From the moment the schedule came out in the spring this game in New Orleans was one that many would consider an automatic loss given how well the Saints have played at home. Yet New Orleans has been a schizophrenic team. The Saints have the No. 2 offense in the league, are the sixth-highest scoring team and lead the NFC South division race but are just 4-5 on the season. They lost in overtime at home to San Francisco on Sunday.
"I think in the NFL, you can't overreact to anything," said Whitworth. "What you do have to find is there is a consistent issue, is there a consistent thing we think we can do better? So that's the focus of us and our team."
