As exciting of a game Sunday's matchup could have been between the Cincinnati Bengals and New York Jets, it may end up becoming a meaningless game for the Cardiac Cats.

One week after head coach Rex Ryan stated his team was eliminated from the postseason, the Jets all of a sudden control their playoff destiny after a surprising win over the previously undefeated Indianapolis Colts. For New York it's simple, win and they're in. The only factor that has yet to be determined is which Cincinnati team they will have to overcome.

If the playoffs ended today, the Bengals would enter the postseason as the No. 4 seed behind the New England Patriots in the AFC because of strength of victory (.433 to Cincinnati's .403).

With the Patriots heading to Texas to take on the Houston Texans on Sunday, head coach Marvin Lewis will have to wait until after 4:00 PM before the Jets know which Bengals team they will have to face.

At 8-7, the Texans are one of five teams remaining that can still end up with one of the two Wild Card spots in the AFC. If Houston can find a way to overcome Tom Brady and company, they will clinch their first playoff berth with one of three scenarios:

• A Jets loss or tie (vs. Cincinnati) and a Baltimore loss or tie (vs. Oakland)
• A Jets loss or tie and a Denver loss or tie (vs. Kansas City)
• A Baltimore loss or tie and a Denver loss or tie

While all three of these scenarios are capable of happening, the most important factor is none of it matters unless the Texans win against the Patriots. Not to mention if Houston falls short against New England, the highly anticipated Sunday Night Football matchup between the Bengals and Jets becomes meaningless for Cincinnati.

With a Patriots win, the Bengals automatically secure the No. 4 seed in the AFC. If this happens to be the case, Lewis will rest allow the starters to rest for a majority of the game—if not the entire.

That being said, the Jets could be looking at a second-straight week against their opponents' backups. As frustrating as this may be to the rest of the teams in the AFC fighting for their playoff lives, there's nothing they can do about it.

All they can do is have their fate controlled by the outcome of the Texans-Patriots game and the Bengals find themselves playing for the No. 3 seed instead of No. 4.

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The Cincinnati Bengals clinched their first AFC North title since 2005 and for the second time in 19 years in a 17-10 win over the Kansas City Chiefs Sunday in the final regular season game at Paul Brown Stadium. The win secures them at least one-home in the postseason as either a No. 3 or No. 4 seed, depending on the results of next week's matchup between the New England Patriots and Houston Texans.

It's been a busy week for the Bengals after traveling to New Orleans five days prior to Sunday's game to pay their final respects to teammate Chris Henry—who passed away on December 17 after suffering severe head injuries sustained from falling out of the bed of a pickup truck. However, Cincinnati knew that despite the extra distractions, there was still a game to be played and an AFC North title on the line.

In the win, there were a number of key factors for the Bengals against a Chiefs’ squad suffering their fifth straight loss to drop to 3-12 on the season. Here is the first part of five factors regarding Cincinnati's 10th win of the season over Kansas City.

Bengals drive 98 yards on game-winning drive

With 9:21 remaining in the fourth quarter in 10-10 game, Cincinnati was beginning the drive on their own two-yard line struggling against a Kansas City team who managed to make it a close game, despite being heavy underdogs. Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer knew how important it was for his team to score then for not only the sake of the game, but for their chances at clinching the playoffs considering the Baltimore Ravens were in a close game with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Palmer slowly moved the Bengals down the field, helping make one big play after another before capping off the drive with a six-yard touchdown to wide receiver Chad Ochocinco with just over two minutes to play. Not only did Cincinnati re-gain a seven point lead, but they managed to waste over seven minutes off the clock as well.

On the following drive for the Chiefs, Bengals cornerback Leon Hall intercepted a deep pass intended for Chiefs wide receiver Chris Chambers to seal the win for Cincinnati. Once again, this team was able to come through late in the fourth quarter just as they had as the "Cardiac Cats" at the beginning of the season.

Cincinnati overcomes Kansas City after extra day of travel on Tuesday

Despite having the advantage over the Chiefs by playing at home, the Bengals still had one day of traveling to attend Henry's funeral down in New Orleans.

After traveling to San Diego the previous weekend, Cincinnati had two days to re-adjust to the time change before flying again Tuesday for the funeral. With all of the time adjustments in such a short span, many members of the Bengals were exhausted—especially since they still had a game to play against the Chiefs and were unable to have a day off during the week like they're used to.

All of the time adjustments seem to have played a factor in the outcome of Sunday's game against Kansas City considering how Cincinnati struggled throughout the game, even though they entered the contest as heavy favorites. At the end of the day, the only important factor is the outcome of the game.

It may have only been a seven-point victory over a four-win Kansas City team, but a win is a win.

Be sure to check back for the remaining three factors.

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On Sunday, the 9-5 Cincinnati Bengals hold their final home game of the regular season at Paul Brown Stadium as they take on the 3-11 Kansas City Chiefs. For the third-straight week, the Bengals look to clinch their first AFC North title since 2005 with a win.

Will the Bengals finally clinch the AFC North this week and end their two-game losing streak?

After winning five of seven, the Bengals look to end a two-game losing streak against the Chiefs and finally secure a playoff spot for the first time in four years. Since defeating the Detroit Lion 23-13 in Week 13, Cincinnati has needed to win just once in their final four games to secure the AFC North and a guarantee of at least one home game at Paul Brown Stadium in the postseason.

The Bengals may be riding a two-game losing streak, but they were against the Minnesota Vikings and San Diego Chargers—two of the best teams in football. Despite their embarrassing loss to Minnesota, Cincinnati's performance against San Diego proved this team is capable of competing with playoff-caliber teams—assuming they make the postseason.

This week, the Bengals could not have asked for a better team to end their streak against than the Chiefs. Kansas City is scoring just 17.1 points-per-game while their defense is allowing opposing teams to average 27.4 points-per-game.

How will Larry Johnson and the rest of the running game perform against his former team?

Earlier this season, Cedric Benson faced his former team in the Chicago Bears and rushed for a career high 189 yards. With Larry Johnson facing his former teammates from earlier this season on Sunday, Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis hopes he can see similar results from both running backs against one of the league's worst defenses at stopping the run.

The Chiefs rank 31st in the NFL when it comes to stopping the run, allowing 162.6 yards-per-game on the ground. Over their last three games, the defense has allowed 265.3 yards-per-game, including 286 yards and three touchdowns to Cleveland Browns running back Jerome Harrison.

For a majority of the season, the Bengals have relied heavily on their ground game to carry the load on offense. With the way things have gone for the Chiefs and stopping the run lately, Benson and Johnson should have a field day against Kansas City on Sunday.

Five days after Chris Henry's funeral, will the Bengals be rested enough against the Chiefs?

On Tuesday, the Bengals traveled to Westwego, Louisiana to pay their final respects to Chris Henry, who passed away on December 17 after suffering head injuries sustained from falling out from the bed of a pickup truck. Even though the funeral was Tuesday, Cincinnati should be concerned about whether or not the extra traveling will have an effect on their performance Sunday.

Henry was the second member lost in the Bengals' family this season after defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer's wife, Vicki, passed away in October. Later that week, Cincinnati struggled at Paul Brown Stadium against the Houston Texans and lost 28-17.

Even though the Chiefs are nowhere nearly as talents as the Texans, it should be interesting to see if Henry's funeral and extra traveling has an influence on the Bengals' performance this weekend. Hopefully, there will be no issue for the Bengals and they secure that AFC North titlethe city of Cincinnati has been waiting to clinch the last three weeks.

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With the San Diego Chargers 10th-straight victory after a 42-17 win over the Tennessee Titans Friday night, the Cincinnati Bengals have been eliminated from earning a first-round bye in the playoffs if they were to make the postseason. The win over the Titans clinched the No. 2 seed for the Chargers after the undefeated Indianapolis Colts already clinched home-field advantage in the AFC for the entire playoffs.

They may have yet to clinch a playoff spot, but the Bengals still have a chance of earning the No. 3 or No. 4 seed in the AFC if they can manage to win the AFC North title. Cincinnati can clinch the division title with at least one more win against the Kansas City Chiefs or New York Jets in the next two weeks. They can also become division champions with at least one more loss by the Baltimore Ravens, who have two remaining games at Pittsburgh and Oakland.

Despite owning the same 9-5 record as the New England Patriots, the Bengals currently hold the No. 4 seed in the AFC. New England remains ahead of Cincinnati based on the tie-breaking rules on strength of victory (.424 to .413).

The Bengals will look to clinch the AFC North for the third-straight week in their final regular season game at Paul Brown Stadium against the 3-11 Chiefs on Sunday.

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As the 9-4 Cincinnati Bengals take on the San Diego Chargers this weekend, the recent passing of Chris Henry will be fresh on the minds of the players, coaches, and fans, for not only the Bengals, but for the rest of the league as well.

Over the last couple of days, Henry's death has been the main story in the media throughout the country. Each day seems to shed light on a new development regarding what really happened on the day of Dec. 16 and how something could have happened to a player like Henry.

Despite everything heard in the media, the numerous rumors as to why it happened should be disregarded for at least one day to celebrate the life of a player who was on the right path to turning his life around.

Henry entered training camp as a player looking for a fresh start in his career after a troubled past that built a negative reputation around his name. He showed up with a new work ethic that was noticed by not only the Bengals coaching staff, but the players as well—especially quarterback Carson Palmer.

As the leader for the Bengals, Palmer has never been afraid to speak anything that may be on his mind. When he described Henry's work ethic during training camp, it was obvious this was a different player from the past.

“He’s had an offseason like no other; he’s worked here every single day,” Palmer said back in May. “He has a great attitude. I’m just really proud of the guy. I’m happy for him. He’s at a good place in his life, a good place for his family. He’s showed up to work here and he will all year long. There’s not a doubt about that.”

Henry had finally realized how blessed he was to given such great talent and was ready to put the necessary work into helping the Bengals succeed in 2009. He may be gone, but his presence will be on the field with Cincinnati for not only this weekend, but the remainder of the season.

Death is never easy for anyone to deal with. The passing away of Henry has not only effected members of the Bengals organization, but members and players from around the league as well.

The same thing happened when the Washington Redskins had to deal with the death of safety Sean Taylor two years ago. No matter what team fans and players were part of, deep down they were all rooting for the Redskins to succeed.

All week, former teammates and current players have been paying their respects to Henry by sharing what it was like to play with or against him. While teammates shared how great it was to have his presence in the locker room, some opponents described how difficult it was at times to defend a player like Henry who was considered one of the most dangerous deep threats in football.

When the Bengals walk on to that field against the Chargers, wearing a decal with the No. 15 on their helmets, they will do whatever it takes to clinch their first AFC North title since 2005, but to win in honor of Henry.

No matter who fans root for on a weekly basic, everyone will be cheering for the Bengals on Sunday. Each time Ochocinco hauls in a reception from Palmer, they will hold their breath in hope of him finding the end zone for that tribute to Henry we've expected from him all week.

The Bengals will have their hands full against a Chargers team who has seen nothing but success in the month of December the last couple of seasons, winners of 16 straight. Win or lose, Cincinnati deserves credit for all the emotions going through that locker room the last couple of days.

In honor of Henry, we're all Bengals fans at heart this weekend and will be thinking about him during this Sunday of Week 15. May he rest in peace and continue to live on in Cincinnati as they make a strong run for the playoffs in these last three weeks of the regular season.

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Sunday's 30-10 loss to the Minnesota Vikings prevented the Cincinnati Bengals from clinching the AFC North and hosting at least one home playoff game at Paul Brown Stadium. However, waiting at least one more week for a second chance to clinch the division is the least of their concerns with three weeks left in the regular season.

The Bengals' loss to the Vikings marked the sixth-straight game they failed to find the end zone in the second half. The last time Cincinnati scored a touchdown in the second half was Week Seven against the Chicago Bears when running back Cedric Benson found the end zone on a one-yard run.

At the beginning of the season, the Bengals appeared to be over their inability to put up points in the second half after their struggles to do so last season. They even earned the nickname "Cardiac Cats" after three-straight wins against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Cleveland Browns, and Baltimore Ravens coming from a score on their final drive of the game.

Last season, the Bengals offense struggled behind quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick as they were shut out in the second half six times during the regular season. In 10 of their 16 games, they were shutout in the fourth quarter.

After scoring just 58 points during the second half in 16 games last season, it took Cincinnati just five weeks to surpass that mark in 2009 (60). Their inability from the previous season to score points in the second half seemed to be nothing but part of the past and would no longer be an issue.

Unfortunately, the issues appear to be far from over as Cincinnati has displayed over the last six weeks. With an upcoming game against a playoff-caliber type team in the San Diego Chargers, the Bengals need to figure out a way to reach the end zone in the second half for not only this game, but the remainder of the season—including playoffs.

Otherwise, Cincinnati may be looking at an early exit in the first round of the playoffs. If they fail to find a way to reach the end zone in the second half of games, how can anyone expect them to make a serious run at the playoffs?

As solid as their defense has played this season, the Bengals need the support of an offense willing to put up touchdowns for an entire game—not just the first half.

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Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chad Ochocinco was recently fined $30,000 for wearing a sombrero and poncho as a celebration for his 36-yard touchdown reception against the Detroit Lions on Sunday.

Throughout his career, Ochocinco has been a man known for having fun with his crazy celebrations. In honor of his recent fine (and to show how much the fans love his passion), here are five suggestions for future celebrations after he scores a touchdown.

They may seem difficult to achieve, but this is Ochocinco we're talking about here. If any one was capable of pulling them off, he would be the No. 1 guy for it.

5. The Blank Check For The Future Fine

The great thing about Ochocinco's love for the game is every time a crazy celebration is planned, he knows there's a fine coming--yet that never stops him from doing it anyway.

With a crazy celebration comes a ridiculous amount of a fine, and that's exactly what happened on Sunday when Ochocinco put on a sombrero and poncho after his 36-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter against the Detroit Lions.

If Ochocinco knows a fine is coming with a celebration, why not have some fun and pre-write the check?

Imagine if Chad pulled out one of those giant checks (as big as the ones from Happy Gilmoure) after a touchdown celebration that was already pre-written to the NFL with the amount left blank. How funny would that be?

4. The Pre-Made Bengals Super Bowl Trophy

He's already pulled off the "Future Hall of Famer" coat after a touchdown against the Baltimore Ravens on Monday Night Football a few years ago. Why not give the "Future Super Bowl Champions" trophy a shot?

Sure, it would probably upset a few of his teammates--not to mention head coach Marvin Lewis--but there's no harm with having a little fun.

Ochocinco could construct his own version of the Lambardi Trophy and hold it up to the fans at Paul Brown Stadium after scoring a touchdown.

Better yet, how ironic would it be if he did this and the Bengals went on to win Super Bowl XLIV? As great as that would be, it may be best to focus on one game at a time.

3. The Twitter Update

In case your a NFL fan who lives under a rock, Ochocinco is arguably the biggest Twitter fan in the league. He loves to interact with the fans and updates his status multiple times throughout the day.

While NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has already made it clear that no player is to use any form of social networking during games or they will be fined, fans are still waiting for Ochocinco to update his Twitter account during a game this season.

If anyone can find a way to get away with a Twitter update in the middle of the game, it's Ochocinco. We all know he would accept a major fine for a hilarious Twitter status after a touchdown in a heartbeat.

How about a live update on his account via the Bengals' jumbo tron. Technically, that wouldn't be his fault, would it?

2. Jumbotron Touchdown Celebration

Throughout his career, Ochocinco hasn't talked about what he's going to do if he scores a touchdown; he says there will be a special celebration after a touchdown as if he knows it's going to happen.

Ochocinco should consider putting together a video to celebrate a touchdown. It could be a special speech. It could be him singing a song. It could even be a special rap he made up about the other team all by himself.

Whatever it may be, the only important thing for Ochocinco's celebration video on the jumbo tron is that it fires up the fans at Paul Brown Stadium.

1. Bang On The Drums All Day--With An Actual Drum Set

One of the best parts about the Bengals scoring a touchdown is when Todd Rundgren's "Bang the Drum All Day" plays throughout Paul Brown Stadium. It's one of those songs that brings excitement throughout the stadium every time Cincinnati manages to find the end zone.

Imagine Ochocinco celebrated a touchdown by playing along to the song as soon as it started playing--with his own drum set.

After a touchdown, Ochocinco reveals a drum set he brought to the stadium and actually "bangs on the drum" like the song tells him to. This would fire up the crowd so much, one would think the Bengals just won the Super Bowl.

Sure, this would be a challenge for him to get the drum set in the stadium without coach Lewis forbidding him to do it. However, this Ochocinco we're talking about and we know he would find a way to get away with it, no matter what.

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Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chad Ochocinco ended his four-game streak without recording a touchdown after hauling in nine receptions for a season high 137 yards and a touchdown in a 23-13 win over the Detroit Lions.

Ochocinco grabbed a 36-yard touchdown pass from Palmer in the second quarter to give him his first trip to the end zone since Week 12 against the Chicago Bears. Of course, with a touchdown reception from Ochocinco comes a special celebration, as he put on a sombrero and poncho.

Through the first seven weeks of the season, Ochocinco hauled in 39 receptions for 573 yards and five touchdowns. With the offense struggling in the passing game the last four games, he's only managed to record 14 receptions for 200 yards and no touchdowns.

Ochocinco needed a big game against the Lions to get the Bengals out of their recent funk in the passing game. If the Bengals want to be contenders come January, Cincinnati realizes how important a strong passing game will be to take the pressure off the running game.

With the win over the Lions, the Bengals improve to 9-3 and are inching closer to their first AFC North title since 2005. After one of Ochocinco's best performances of the season, Cincinnati has to be satisfied their offensive slump is no longer around.

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With the 2-9 Detroit Lions traveling to Paul Brown Stadium on Sunday, the 8-3 Cincinnati Bengals look to take advantage of a team who has struggled on the road over the last few years.

Through 12 weeks, the Lions are 0-5 away from Ford Field this season and have lost to their opponents—Saints, Bears, Packers, Seahawks, and Vikings—by an average of 19.4 points. Dating back to the 2004 season, they have only won four of their last 42 games on the road. Their last victory away from home came on October 27, 2008 against the Chicago Bears—which means they have lost 17 straight road games.

While this statistic may not be as meaningful considering the Lions have won a total of just nine games over the last three seasons, the Bengals have to be excited about playing Detroit in hope of getting out of their offensive funk.

Despite an 8-3 record, the Bengals offense has struggled to score points this season—which is hard to believe considering the level of talent they have.

They have everything a powerful offense could ask for. A strong leader at quarterback in Carson Palmer. A strong running game led by Cedric Benson. A talented group of wide receivers in Chad Ochocinco and Laveranues Coles to throw to.

With the amount of talent on offense, it's hard to imagine the Bengals have won three of their last four games despite scoring less than 18 points each contest. Lucky for the offense, they have the support of a ferocious defense which ranks at the top of the league in points allowed per game (15.8).

The success of the Bengals scoring defense this season makes Sunday’s matchup interesting considering the Lions find themselves last in the NFL, allowing their opponents to score 30.5 points-per-game. In other words, the team allowing the fewest points allowed per game is squaring up against the team allowing the most points scored per game.

While the Bengals has struggled to score a majority of the season and rank 17th in points-per-game (21), Cincinnati has shown us how dangerous they can be when their offense gets going.

The Bengals best offensive performance of the season came in Week Seven against the Chicago Bears. Not only did Cincinnati take advantage of a banged-up Chicago defense in their 45-10 victory, but they nearly did it in perfection.

Palmer completed 20-of-24 passes for 233 yards and five touchdowns. Benson ran for a career high 189 yards on 37 carries. Ochocinco hauled in 10 receptions for 118 yards and two touchdowns.

Marvin Lewis knows his team has one of the top defenses in the NFL. If the Bengals offense performed as well as they did against the Bears on a weekly basis, more people would be placing their name in the same sentence as the word "Super Bowl."

Unfortunately, the offense needs to get out of this so-called "funk" before any of that happens. Lucky for the Bengals, their offense has the potential for a high-scoring game considering the Lions seem to be the perfect fit to help them get out of their offensive funk.

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For the fourth time this season, the Cincinnati Bengals received an extension to sell out tickets for an upcoming game—this week, against the Detroit Lions. As of Thursday morning, there were still 5,000 tickets remaining for fans to watch their beloved Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium.

We all are familiar with the story; the Bengals are on the verge of a blackout, they receive an extension, and the franchise miraculously finds a way to sell out tickets right before the game starts on Sunday to allow fans not in attendance to watch the game from home.

Over the last few months, numerous accusations posted in articles and on message boards on numerous sites have questioned the loyalty of Bengals fans for not being able to sell out their games at Paul Brown Stadium. Fans of opposing teams have questioned Cincinnati's fans' loyalty to the Bengals and asked why they would want to pass up on a chance to watch their team win.

As football fans, it's time to put an end to all the negativity and realize that a major reason behind the Bengals' recent struggle with selling out home games is the current state of the economy.

It's not to force Mike Brown to step down. It's not because fans don't truly appreciate their beloved Bengals.

It's because the city of Cincinnati is dealing with tough economic times—just like cities across the United States.

The unemployment rate in the state of Ohio jumped back to 10 percent in the month of October. Counties across the Cincinnati area continue to struggle with their residents struggling to find jobs.

• Butler County—9.5 percent
• Hamilton County—11.1 percent
• Clermont County—9.7 percent
• Warren County—8.7 percent

Overall, the unemployment rate in the city of Cincinnati was 9.8 percent in the month of October. Both the city of Cincinnati, and each of the counties listed above saw an increase in the unemployment rate when compared to September.

Cincinnati is not the only city in the United States dealing with this type of situation. There are plenty of franchises in the sports industry that are suffering just as much as the Bengals.

Tickets to a sporting event are not the cheapest item in the world. While there are sports fans who choose to spend hundreds of dollars—even thousands—to watch their beloved sports teams live, fan bases should not be judged about their loyalties toward their teams with the current state of the economy.

According to Ticketmaster.com, the cheapest pair of tickets for Sunday's game against the Lions would cost $145.62. After paying for parking and food, a day at Paul Brown Stadium may end up costing around $200 for two people.

While $200 may not seem like a big deal to some, there are fans in Cincinnati—as well as across the United States—who can't afford to spend that type of money at a sporting event in these tough economic times.

Bengals fans are just as passionate about their team as the rest of the fans in the NFL. Despite cheering for different teams, fans around the league can share the recent struggles of the economy with one another.

It's time to end all of the bashing of one another about which fans are loyal to their teams and which aren't. If the fans of Cincinnati are being questioned for their loyalty, how have the Bengals been able to sell out their last 50 games at home between the regular season and postseason?

Sure, the Bengals may have received extra help to sell out games (thanks to Chad Ochocinco for his help with the Houston Texans game), but that doesn't mean fans don't love their team.

In this economy, some fans would rather save their money and watch the Bengals from home—which still shows loyalty to their beloved team.

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The Cincinnati Bengals improved their record to 8-3 after a 16-7 win over the 1-10 Cleveland Browns on Sunday. Here are a few important notes regarding Cincinnati's big win.

Bengals Take Advantage of Browns Weak Rushing Defense

Similar to the game against the Oakland Raiders, the Bengals knew the best way to beat the Browns was through a powerful running attack...only this time, they wanted to end up winning.

The Bengals could not have asked for a better performance against the Browns' 29th-ranked rushing defense.

After just two carries the previous week against the Raiders, running back Larry Johnson recorded his first 100-yard game of the season, rushing for 107 yards on 22 carries.

Even rookie running back Bernard Scott, who made his second-straight start, managed to gain 87 yards.

Overall, the Bengals ran the ball for a total of 45 times and threw it just 24 times.

With a strong running game and the Detroit Lions coming to Paul Brown Stadium on Sunday, it should be interesting to see how much Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis uses Johnson and Scott now that Benson is supposedly returning.

Bengals Continue To Get By Without a Strong Passing Game

It's hard to imagine the Bengals are 8-3 despite the fact Palmer has yet to throw for 300 yards in a single game this season.

While the Browns seemed to be the perfect team for him to break the mark against with their 24th ranked passing defense, it turns out they didn't even need a big game from Palmer to come through with the win.

In a game where the running backs performed most of the work, Palmer finished 13-of-24 for just 110 yards, his lowest of the season. He also threw a four-yard touchdown pass to tight end J.P. Foschi in the second quarter.

While the passing numbers may not be as high as expected, considering the weapons he has on offense, Palmer is arguably having the best season.

With an 8-3 record in control of the AFC North, Palmer has the Bengals right where they want to be heading into the final month of the regular season.

Bengals Finish 6-0 In AFC North For First Time In Franchise History

Prior to the start of the 2009 season, the only NFL analyst that seemed to think the Bengals could win the AFC North was former Steelers head coach Bill Cowher.

Props to Mr. Cowher for his solid prediction as the Bengals not only appear to be on the way to their first AFC North title since 2005, but completed their first sweep of the division in franchise history.

After their recent win over the Browns, the Bengals are now winners of their last seven games within the division. Their last loss came in a Week 13 matchup against the Ravens last season.

With the Steelers and Ravens displaying one of the most intense matchups in recent years during last year's AFC Championship Game, many assumed one of these teams would return to the playoffs this season representing the AFC North.

Now, it appears the Steelers or Ravens will have to make the playoffs as a wild-card team since the Bengals appear to have control of the AFC North.

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