Time Machine: Bengals Clinch AFC North on Dec. 18, 2005

With the Lions set to take on the Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium on Sunday, I can't help but think of Dec. 18, 2005. On a frigid day in Detroit, the Bengals throttled the Lions 41-17 and clinched the AFC North division title.

After years of watching miserable football, Bengals fans were finally able to think about the playoffs. The team was 11-3 and on a roll, having just won three in a row against the other teams in their division. 

On the way to Detroit, we saw many cars with Bengals flags and stickers. We arrived at Ford Field early and walked down to the front row to watch the team warm up. "Bengal Buddies," as my daughter used to call the other fans dressed in orange and black, were everywhere.

Some of us could remember the days of Ken Anderson and Boomer Esiason. We had seen the team win and suffered through the miserable 1990s. The younger fans were experiencing winning football for the first time.

We walked around Ford Field and found an area where kids were able to get their faces painted. There was a group of women in Lions jerseys doing the painting in return for a charitable donation, which I was glad to give.

My daughter asked to have her face painted like a Bengal tiger. To my surprise, her request was initially denied. As we stood in shock because some loser refused to paint a two-year-old's face, another lady agreed to help us out.

We made our way to our seats, dressed in our Bengals gear and brimming with confidence. The feeling was one not often experienced by a Bengals fan in recent years. Our team was clearly superior to the competition. It is really cool to visit another NFL team's stadium knowing that your team is going to issue a beatdown.

The Bengals did just that. Carson Palmer completed 28 of 39 passes for 271 yards and three touchdowns. Rudi Johnson rushed for 117 yards and two touchdowns.

I remember talking to a Lions fan toward the end of the game. He talked about the Bengals offense and how the Lions franchise was in disarray. I remember telling him that I knew his pain and to hang in there. The feeling was surreal. The Bengals were AFC North Champions!

The 2009 Bengals are a much different team than the one that hammered the Lions four years ago. However, the ultimate goal is still the same.

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