[Stardust]

In this, the season of Marvin Lewis’ “Reboot”, the Bengals stand where no one thought they would 364 days ago – in position for a playoff spot.

The scenario is simple for today’s regular-season finale against Baltimore. A win over the Ravens and the 9-6 Bengals are in the postseason for the third time in Lewis’ nine seasons as head coach with a trip to Houston next weekend. A loss and they need help.

When Sunday’s game kicks off at 4:15 p.m, they should know if they can even make it with a loss. If the Jets beat Miami, a win is the only way to make it. If the Dolphins win, the Bengals can make it with a loss and losses by either the Raiders, who host the Chargers, or the Broncos, who host the Chiefs.

“Shame on us if we don’t take care of our business. It is on our shoulders,” Lewis said Friday.

The stakes are clear cut, but the road to getting there has been longer than Tolstoy’s “War and Peace.”

You could say the “War” took place from 4 p.m. last Jan. 2, when the Bengals concluded the 2010 season with a six-point loss to the Ravens, to halftime of the Oct. 2 game against Buffalo, when the Bengals were 1-2 and trailed 17-3. In between was the most tumultuous offseason in team history, the drafting of Andy Dalton and A.J. Green, a lockout and a 1-2 start where Dalton and a new offense were still trying to find their way.

“Peace” was found with a five-game winning streak, that started with a 23-20 win over the Bills, the trade of Carson Palmer to Oakland and a recent two-game winning streak that put the Bengals in control of their own destiny after a span where they lost four of five after a 6-2 record at midseason.

After a year like that, might as well add a win-and-in game to the mix. Yet, despite what is at stake, the Bengals theme for the week could have been stolen from Alfred E. Neuman: “What, me worry?”

Lewis said that he didn’t change anything this week because of the way his team has approached matters for most of the season – make the corrections and move on.

Said offensive tackle Andrew Whitworth: “None of them are intimidated by anything. They realize the only way to get what you want is to go get it and to work hard for it and to have fun doing it because that is why you play the game in the first place.

“A lot of guys make it about a lot of different things – how nice their facilities are, what they get to eat, how much media attention they get, how much money they make – and you can get caught up in all those things and make life miserable for yourself. Until you realize that you are getting paid to play a game for your career.”

http://www.Cincinnati.com