AFC NORTH Bengals' victory is road-worthy

The win at Baltimore put Cincinnati in playoff contention.
CINCINNATI (AP) -- Marvin Lewis compared it to exorcising a demon.
A 27-26 victory over the Baltimore Ravens was a godsend for a Cincinnati Bengals team still learning how to do the things that other teams do routinely.
Like win on the road.
"We needed a breakthrough," said offensive tackle Willie Anderson, the most long-suffering Bengal in his ninth season. "It's something we needed as an organization. We've had some terrifying games here in the past. You'd have nightmares through the whole offseason."
They'll sleep a whole lot better this week.
The Bengals (6-6) climbed back onto the fringe of playoff contention by getting their most noteworthy road victory since 1990, the last time they made the playoffs and had a winning record.
Overcoming bad history
They'd lost 42 consecutive road games against teams with winning records, a mind-numbing streak that carried a qualifier. They opened the 1995 season with a win at Indianapolis against a Colts team that would make the playoffs.
Still, it became part of their lore as the Bungles, a team that fell apart whenever it hit the road and played someone good. Now, it's another part of history that they've overcome.
Looking back at 1990
"Hopefully pretty soon we'll have all of them done, but we've got a long ways to go," Lewis said Monday.
The biggest ones are still intact: No winning record, no postseason appearance since 1990. One madcap comeback in Baltimore sparked optimism that those can be overcome, too -- if not this season, then certainly the next.
The Bengals fell behind 20-3 late in the third quarter Sunday, usually a sign that they were about to fold. Instead, they showed uncharacteristic grit and pulled it out behind their maturing young quarterback.
Carson Palmer completed 13 of his last 16 passes -- two incompletions came on clock-stopping spikes -- for 215 yards and three touchdowns. He also directed the Bengals to the winning field goal, Shayne Graham's 24-yarder as time ran out.
The Jets (9-3), Baltimore (7-5) and Denver (7-5) are competing for the AFC's two wild card berths, with Cincinnati, Buffalo and Jacksonville a game back. And the Bengals' last two road games are at New England this weekend and at Philadelphia to end the season.
Are they really up for this?
"Maybe it's coming for a good reason at the right time," Lewis said. "It gives us another opportunity to prove our worth."