Bengals control division destiny

CINCINNATI (AP) — Black, long-sleeve shirts were hanging in the Cincinnati Bengals’ lockers on Monday morning when they showed up at Paul Brown Stadium, a gift from coach Marvin Lewis reminding them not to get too caught up in their panoramic view atop the AFC North.

The shirts had orange, block letters that spelled out NDCQ, apparently referring to a phrase players have used during their surprising season: Not dead, can’t quit.

Could have said: WOW.

By beating the Steelers at their own game — on their field, no less — the Bengals (7-2) have taken control of the division heading into the soft stretch of their schedule. They’re in position to reach the playoffs for only the second time in 19 years, doing things like no Bengals team before them.

A newfound toughness suggests that unlike many Bengals teams of the past, this one can keep it going.

“Why not?” defensive lineman Frostee Rucker said Monday. “It looks like this is going to be the team to remember, I guess. So just win out. Everyone is on board to take it on. We’re just pumped.”

A bruising defensive performance that was one of the Bengals’ best in years has left them 5-0 in division games — a franchise first — and put them a game ahead of the Steelers, who saw their winning formula copied by the new big kids on the block.

Like most years in Cincinnati, no one gave them much of a chance when the season started. The 18-12 win in Pittsburgh changed everything.

“We keep doing what we’re doing, it’s going to make everybody respect us eventually,” said rookie running back Bernard Scott, who ran back a kickoff for the only touchdown of the game.

The convincing part was how they did it.

The Bengals hadn’t swept the Steelers since 1998, when Bruce Coslet’s 3-13 team pulled off bookend upsets. That sweep was a fluke; this one completed a transformation.

The Bengals have swept the Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens — the two teams that played for the AFC championship last season — in the same season.

Something else that’s never happened before in Cincinnati.

“Very sweet!” linebacker Brandon Johnson said after the game. “I’m almost diabetic right now, it’s so sweet. I’m so excited now I can barely contain myself. It feels good. Five-and-0 in the division. I’ve never experienced anything like this. On to the next one.”

That would be Oakland, followed by Cleveland and Detroit. None of those teams has won more than two games. By sweeping the trio of terrible teams, the Bengals would put themselves in the running for home-field advantage in the playoffs. The only AFC team with a better record is Indianapolis at 9-0.