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INDIANAPOLIS -- The Cincinnati Bengals now find themselves at a crossroads. This is the time when a group like theirs is at its most fragile. It's when fingers might start getting pointed as answers are sought and sources of blame desired. Dark days like the ones the Bengals are in also could be when players start mentally checking out, focusing instead on ways they can just get through what has started shaping up to be a more difficult season than any of them could have anticipated.  This is the time when a team can begin fracturing and completely break apart.
But according to the few Bengals who spoke to reporters following Sunday afternoon's 27-0 road shutout at the hands of the Colts, there is no disaster in Cincinnati. There are no reasons to believe the team will start to fold, they said. "I wouldn't say 'crisis,'" defensive end Carlos Dunlap said when asked if the team was beginning to feel that way following three straight winless performances. "We still can be on top of our division if we beat Baltimore. That's the biggest goal in mind right now, beside playing the way we had been playing." If the Ravens lose next week, they'll fall to 2-2 in the division, while the Bengals would be 2-0. Until recently, the Bengals had been playing well. Cincinnati went 3-0 to start the year and looked like a true Super Bowl contender. It had weathered the storm of a few injuries, but seemed poised to still go on a long run. And then came the bye. Since the Bengals' Week 4 bye, they haven't been the same. They've gone 0-2-1 and have been outplayed both offensively and defensively. They haven't looked remotely close to being in the rhythm they were in when the season began. Instead, they look disjointed. The injuries that have amassed in recent weeks appear to be having a very real impact, regardless of what some players may say. Despite all that, though, the Bengals contend their focus -- even on a day when a loss like this "hurts," as coach Marvin Lewis said -- is on next Sunday's game at home against Baltimore. It's only the Bengals' second division game of the year, and their last against the Ravens following the season-opening 23-16 win in the first week of September. "We've got to circle the wagons, that's the thing," Lewis said. "We are who we are. We've got what we've got. We've got to get together and we've got to figure out a way to continue to ride and go back and be a fundamentally sound, attacking football team again and get on it and go. This one's over, we've got to put it behind us. We'll learn a lot from this football game and it will be something that will be something that will help us grow." Quarterback Andy Dalton said it's on the leaders of the team to ensure the team's focus remains on the end goals: a division championship and a Super Bowl trophy. "We are definitely going to do whatever it takes to get that point across," Dalton said. "This team is too talented and we have so much going for us. We can't waste any opportunities. It will be talked about this week. There will be plenty of room for improvement, so we just have to watch the tape and do whatever we can to correct it and move on."
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