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CINCINNATI -- Now that we're one day removed from the Cincinnati Bengals' blowout loss at Indianapolis that some players called "embarrassing," it's time to take a quick trip down memory lane. Three weeks into the season the Bengals were undefeated and coming off a series of convincing wins. But who did they really beat? Since Cincinnati's season-opening winning streak, it has gone winless, losing games against the Patriots and Colts and tying the Panthers. Much has been made over the way the Patriots secured the Week 5 blowout primarily because they had been similarly "embarrassed" the week before they played the Bengals, and were looking to take their frustrations out on whomever their next opponent was. After an inconsequential, but nonetheless humiliating 35-7 preseason loss to the Bengals, the Colts exacted revenge when it mattered most in Sunday's 27-0 shutout. Indianapolis may be a good team now winning five straight, but it still completely outplayed Cincinnati. Which begs the question: How good were the Bengals? At the end of Week 7, the three teams the Bengals beat have a combined 7-12 record. The three teams that have tied or beaten them are a combined 13-7-1. Two of the teams the Bengals have beaten have losing records and are third in their respective divisions after Sunday's games. The other team, Baltimore (5-2), had a chance to come back and beat the Bengals in the final minutes. An inspiring defensive stand prevented a late-game Ravens score and allowed the Bengals to hold on for the 23-16 win. The day after the game, the Ravens were jolted to life when security tapes showing running back Ray Rice punching his now-wife in an Atlantic City, New Jersey, elevator surfaced. The next week, galvanized by the arduous few days they had been through as a team, the Ravens earned a key 20-point Thursday night win over division foe Pittsburgh. They have rolled ever since, losing one game and overtaking the Bengals with a win just this weekend for first place in the division. Baltimore visits Cincinnati on Sunday. It'll be a chance for the Bengals to not only get back on track, but to sweep the season series with the Ravens. In addition to their season-opening win, the Bengals also beat the Falcons and Titans in Weeks 2 and 3 by a combined score of 57-17. They were dominating performances that made it appear the Bengals were for real. But now that we are starting to get to the season's halfway point, we are beginning to see that the Titans and Falcons simply aren't very good. Both teams are 28th and 23rd, respectively, in point-margin rankings this season. They also are both 2-5. Three of the combined four wins have come to teams with losing records: New Orleans, Tampa Bay and Jacksonville. The other win was over the Chiefs, who are now 3-3. The timing for this recent downturn isn't very good for Cincinnati, which enters one of its toughest stretches of the season. After Baltimore this weekend, the Bengals host the Jaguars and Browns in back-to-back weeks. Cleveland has turned heads at times this season, and the game will be played at Paul Brown Stadium on a Thursday night, so the eyes of the nation should be upon that game. After hosting the Browns, the Bengals go on the road at New Orleans, Houston and Tampa Bay. Each of those teams is beatable, but the grind of three straight games on the road could be taxing. Still, in order to prove they ought to be taken seriously again, the Bengals legitimately need to win at least five of these next six games.
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