CINCINNATI (AP) - The Bengals had seven chances to beat a top-tier team during the season, and lost all seven games. Their eighth opportunity comes in the playoffs.
One more chance to show they belong with the league's elite.
The Bengals' enchanted year has stretched into the postseason, a most improbable finishing place for one of the NFL's youngest teams. They had a lot of things go their way - the schedule was favorable, most of their key players avoided serious injuries.
"The sky's the limit for our team," offensive tackle Andre Smith said. "I think we're going to take advantage of this week."
They've gotten the chance because they've been good at beating bad teams.
The Bengals went 0-7 against other teams in the playoffs - AFC North rivals Baltimore and Pittsburgh, as well as Denver, San Francisco and Houston. Their nine wins came against teams that had a combined 43-85 record.
Five of their nine wins came against teams that finished in last place. They beat only one team that finished with a winning record - Tennessee.
"It's just unfortunate that we're losing to some of the better teams," defensive tackle Domata Peko said. "We've been in each of those games, a play or two away from winning those games. But we're just happy around here that we're in the dance and have to now prove to the world that we belong here."
Although they haven't beaten another playoff team, they've come close. Often, they've fallen behind and rallied to another near-miss. Their only blow-out loss was 35-7 at Pittsburgh. Otherwise, they've lost by 2, 5, 7, 7, 1 and 8 points to the other playoff-bound teams.
Good enough to stick with em, not good enough to beatem.
"We've just got to cut out the mistakes," receiver Jerome Simpson said. "We're young, but now it's time for us to grow up."
They've had two opponents come to Paul Brown Stadium and clinch championships this season. Baltimore's win on Sunday gave the Ravens the AFC North title and the No. 2 seed for the playoffs.
On Dec. 11, the Texans came to town and secured the first playoff spot on franchise history, winning the AFC South with a 20-19 victory behind rookie quarterback T.J. Yates. The fifth-round pick led Houston on an 80-yard drive with a little more than 2 minutes left, throwing the winning touchdown pass with 2 seconds to go.
One consolation: The Bengals aren't the only team heading into the playoffs with big questions.
The Texans didn't win again after clinching in Cincinnati, dropping their last three games. Coach Gary Kubiak rested a lot of his starters during the second half of a 23-22 loss to Tennessee on Sunday, keeping them fresh for the playoffs.
Denver also lost its last three games: 41-23 to New England, 40-14 to Buffalo and 7-3 to Kansas City.
The Bengals have a feeling they could break a long drought - no playoff victory since 1990 - if they can avoid falling behind in the first half. They rallied from double-digit deficits three times in the second half during the season, but fell short a lot more often.
"I know we have the fight part right," coach Marvin Lewis said. "There is no quit in this team. We need to get the mental part corrected early in the game. We cannot put ourselves behind."
Some of it can be attributed to their youth. The Bengals were the youngest team in the AFC heading into the season, led by a rookie quarterback and rookie receiver.
The challenge is to show some poise in the playoffs.
"We definitely haven't played our best game yet," rookie quarterback Andy Dalton said. "It's what we're working for. We've got to go put it all together and just let it all out. Once we're able to do that, this team can be really good."
