Bengals will make the playoffs

Champagne corks were popped in south Florida yesterday afternoon as the Cincinnati Bengals upset the previously undefeated Kansas City Chiefs and ensured the 1972 Miami Dolphins would remain the last and only undefeated NFL team. That is right, I said the Cincinnati Bengals upset the Chiefs. The BENGALS.\nAnd don't look now, but the Bengals are in a first place tie in the AFC North division with the rival Baltimore Ravens. Since starting the season 0-3, the Bengals have reeled off five wins in seven games, including wins over Baltimore, the division-leading Seattle Seahawks, and the Chiefs, who still boast the best record in the NFL.\nWhat the Bengals' defeat of the Chiefs displayed once again is the difficulty of going a full season undefeated in any sport and at any level of competition. While the NFL would seem like a realistic possibility since there are only 16 regular season games, it is such a tough physical and mental grind over 17 weeks that no team has done it since the schedule was lengthened to 16 games (the Dolphins were 17-0, but only 13 were in the regular season).\nThe last two teams to really come close to joining the immaculate 1972 Dolphins were the 1998 Denver Broncos and the 1985 Chicago Bears. The Bears were 12-0 before getting beat by none other than the Dolphins, and finished out the season at 15-1 before going on to win the Super Bowl. The Broncos were 13-0 before the New York Giants and Dolphins both beat them, and they completed the regular season at 14-2 before going on to win their second consecutive Super Bowl.\nHistory may point to the Chiefs now continuing through the season and winning the Super Bowl, a likely possibility on all fronts, as they are a well-rounded team in all facets of the game, but they may have to face the Bengals one more time on the road to the Super Bowl in Houston. If the Bengals can continue their impressive play, they have the inside track to the playoffs and a division title in the pathetically poor AFC North division.\nThe Bengals and Ravens are tied at 5-5 right now with the Bengals having already defeated Baltimore. Cincinnati still has to travel to Baltimore for its second meeting Dec. 7, which is the third game of a three-game road trip for the Bengals. The Bengals have four of their last six games on the road, including games at Baltimore, Pittsburgh and St. Louis. Meanwhile, the Ravens have four of their six remaining games at home. The competition each team has remaining is similar, and it should be a tight race to the division title.\nWhoever wins the remaining game between the Bengals and Ravens will have a decided advantage; and with the Ravens in quarterback turmoil after rookie starter Kyle Boller went down a week ago, expect the Bengals to have the upper hand. The Ravens back-ups, consisting of Chris Redman and Anthony Wright, have been less than stellar in their recent performances and have left the Ravens' offense in serious question. With Boller out reportedly at least three more weeks, his return could be too late to lead the Ravens to a playoff run.\nA week before Sunday's game, Bengals wide receiver Chad Johnson proclaimed the Bengals would beat the Chiefs -- and they did, but not behind Johnson's performance. Fellow wide receiver Peter Warrick helped Johnson out by returning a 73-yard punt return for a touchdown and then catching a 77-yard touchdown pass to seal the victory.\nI'll make a prediction now, on the strength of rookie coach Marvin Lewis who has done a wonderful job, strong running by Rudi Johnson and an exceptional defense, the Bengals will make the playoffs for the first time since 1990. Now I just need the Bengals to make me look good like they did for Johnson.