Bengals

1 -- BENGALS 9, RAVENS 0 Early fumbles costly FROM THE COVER Quarter by quarterThe Ravens found themselves in an early hole thanks to three fumbles, two by quarterback Steve McNair. The Ravens dodged one bullet when kicker Shayne Graham's 53-yard field-goal attempt was short, but the Bengals converted the other two turnovers into a touchdown catch by Chad Johnson and a field goal by Graham. Scoring Bengals: C. Johnson 39 pass from Palmer (kick blocked), 8:31. Bengals: Graham 23 FG, 4:04.

Moves BASEBALL ASTROS -- Named Glen Barker director of Pacific Rim scouting. INDIANS -- Exercised 2008 contract options on P Joe Borowski, P Paul Byrd and P Aaron Fultz. MARINERS -- Named former Orioles manager Sam Perlozzo third base coach. ORIOLES -- Named Dave Jauss bench coach. RED SOX -- Agreed to one-year contract with former Orioles P Curt Schilling. BASKETBALL SPURS -- Named director of pro player personnel Dell Demps GM of Austin (NBDL). COLLEGES UMES -- Announced appointment of Michael "Mick" Bigwood as baseball pitching coach.

The last time the Ravens encountered an offense as formidable as the Indianapolis Colts' was Nov. 30, against the Cincinnati Bengals on the road. The Bengals often went with three receivers, and there were lots of short- and mid-range passes. But the key was the play of quarterback Carson Palmer, who was extremely patient in the Bengals' 13-7 victory. These elements have become the standard formula for beating the Ravens, and slowing down their top-ranked defense. Only a few teams have accomplished it. The San Diego Chargers first unveiled it Oct. 1 for a half, then got too conservative in a 16-13 loss.

Patriots (3-0) @ Bengals (1-2) Time, TV -- 8:30, ESPN. Fantasy factor -- Patriots QB Tom Brady has 10 touchdown passes and only one interception. Bengals WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh has 29 catches, including four for touchdowns. The buzz -- The Bengals' generous defense likely won't be able to con tain Brady and the Patriots. Who's going to stop WR Randy Moss (403 re ceiving yards, five TDs)?

Moves Baseball GIANTS -- Sent P Kelvyn Acosta, P Dan Geise, P Travis Blackley and IF Scott McClain outright to Triple-A Fresno. NATIONALS -- Sent former Orioles P Winston Abreu, P Mike Bacsik, P Chris Booker, P Arnie Munoz, P Jason Simontacchi and OF Brandon Watson outright to Triple-A Columbus. TIGERS -- Sent P Edward Campusano outright to Triple-A Iowa. Basketball BULLS -- Waived F-C Joseph Blair. KNICKS -- Signed G Allan Houston. Football BENGALS -- Signed S Jon Busing from practice squad.

Nine College of Notre Dame players scored in the host Gators' 16-0 shutout of Trinity University yesterday. Lauren Terry led the Gators (6-1, 1-0 Atlantic Women's Colleges Conference) with three goals. Tina Money scored a goal and had a career-high four assists to go with six ground balls, four draw controls and four caused turnovers. Trinity fell to 0-5, 0-2. Buffalo State 14, St. Mary's 13 -- Leah Bernal scored with 17 seconds left in double overtime and Steph Georgopolous scored five goals as the visiting Bengals (6-0)

TODD HEAP RAVENS TE HT: 6-5 WT: 252 YEAR: 7 MADIEU WILLIAMS BENGALS S HT: 6-1 WT: 203 YEAR: 4 Despite missing three of the past four games with a strained hamstring, Heap could put up big numbers against the Bengals. Cincinnati has had problems covering tight ends, and Heap is still one of the best ones in the NFL. This was supposed to be a big year for Williams, in his fourth season out of Maryland. The Bengals were expected to turn him loose, but Williams has been a disappointment despite being third on the team in tackles with 50. If Heap is looking to get back in a groove, he should be able to do so against the Bengals.

Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer has put up some impressive numbers in winning four of his five past games against the Ravens. .687 Completion pct. 1,360 Yards 10/4 TDs/Interceptions 108.2 Rating

CINCINNATI -- The Ravens needed a 50-yard field goal as time expired to beat the worst team in the NFL yesterday. That tells you how well they played."

Ravens owner Art Modell vehemently denied rumors yesterday that his team is pursuing a trade for disgruntled Cincinnati wide receiver Carl Pickens.Pickens, still considered one of the NFL's premier wideouts, has been designated as the Bengals' franchise player, and has threatened to sit out the 1999 season as a result. Because of his franchise-player status, he was unable to test the free-agent market this year.Pickens has refused to sign a one-year tender with the Bengals and has said repeatedly that he wants out of Cincinnati.

Week 1 CHIEFS Result: W, 38-24 Week 2 AT CHARGERS Result: W, 31-26 Week 3 BROWNS Result: W, 34-3 Week 4 AT PATRIOTS Result: L, 27-21 Week 5 BENGALS Result: L, 17-14 Week 6 AT VIKINGS Sunday 1 p.m. Week 7 BYE WEEK Week 8 BRONCOS Sunday, Nov. 1 1 p.m. Week 9 AT BENGALS Sunday, Nov 8 1 p.m. Week 10 AT BROWNS Monday, Nov. 16 8:30 p.m. Week 11 COLTS Sunday, Nov. 22 1 p.m. Week 12 STEELERS Sunday, Nov. 29 8:20 p.m. Week 13 AT PACKERS Monday, Dec....

Let's not hear any whining about the referees this week, OK? The Cincinnati Bengals won this one fair and square. The Bengals are for real. There's no question about it, not after their gritty 17-14 win over the mistake-prone Ravens on Sunday that leaves Cincinnati atop the AFC North at 4-1 and leaves this town in shock. Yep, shock is the right word, given the incredible expectations heaped upon this team since the start of training camp. The Ravens were going to the Super Bowl - that's all you heard on the sports talk shows.

Quarterback C- Joe Flacco has become a slow starter. He threw mostly short and underneath passes, and seldom challenged the Bengals deep. Flacco had chances, and he missed Mark Clayton for a possible late touchdown that would have sealed a win. Running backs C The three-headed monster has become a one-headed monster. Ray Rice played well, and that 48-yard touchdown reception in the fourth quarter was sensational. But Willis McGahee and Le'Ron McClain were nonfactors. Receivers C- Did they play in this game?

The Game: Three penalties kill Ravens on game-winning drive PG 2 Preston: Ravens cornerbacks can't cover anybody man-to-man PG 3 From elation ...: Ravens take lead on Ray Rice's TD with 6:59 left in 4th quarter ... to deflation: Ravens 'D' allows Bengals to march 80 yards, score winning TD

In the final seconds of Sunday's 17-14 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, the disgruntled voices emanating inside M&T Bank Stadium shouted "Refs, you [stink]" while a crowd of 71,161 waved their fingers at the officials. The Ravens, however, pointed at only themselves. Although they disagreed with three defensive penalties on the Bengals' game-winning drive, the Ravens blamed themselves - not the officials - for losing their grip on first place in the AFC North. The final, painful blow came when the Ravens let Cincinnati wide receiver Andre Caldwell run wide open for a 20-yard touchdown catch with 22 seconds left, capping one of the most excruciating defensive series in team history.

Week 1 CHIEFS Result: W, 38-24 Week 2 AT CHARGERS Result: W, 31-26 Week 3 BROWNS Result: W, 34-3 Week 4 AT PATRIOTS Result: L, 27-21 Week 5 BENGALS Result: L, 17-14 Week 6 AT VIKINGS Sunday 1 p.m. Week 7 BYE WEEK Week 8 BRONCOS Sunday, Nov. 1 1 p.m. Week 9 AT BENGALS Sunday, Nov 8 1 p.m. Week 10 AT BROWNS Monday, Nov. 16 8:30 p.m. Week 11 COLTS Sunday, Nov. 22 1 p.m. Week 12 STEELERS Sunday, Nov. 29 8:20 p.m. Week 13 AT PACKERS Monday, Dec....

The Ravens' streak of not allowing a 100-yard rusher ended when Cedric Benson ran 28 yards for a touchdown with 52 seconds left in the third quarter. The run gave the Bengals the lead and gave Benson 108 yards on 21 carries. On the drive, the Bengals went 84 yards on nine plays in 6:19. The big play in the drive was a 5-yard illegal contact penalty on Foxworth on third down. It not only negated a sack, but it also gave the Bengals an automatic first down. Bengals: Benson 28 run (Graham kick)

0 Catches by wide receiver Derrick Mason. That's just the second time he has been shut out in his 69 games as a Raven. 13 Regular-season and postseason touchdowns scored by Ravens safety Ed Reed. His 52-yard touchdown off an interception put the Ravens ahead 7-0 in the second quarter. 30 Yards allowed on three defensive penalties by the Ravens on their final defensive series. That accounted for 37.5 percent of the Bengals' 80-yard game-winning drive. 120 Rushing yards by Bengals running back Cedric Benson, who ended the Ravens' streak of not allowing a 100-yard rusher at 39 games.

In a stunning turn of events, the Bengals marched 80 yards in 11 plays to score the winning touchdown with 22 seconds left. The drive, aided by three penalties against the Ravens, took 1:53 and left the 71,161 at M&T Bank Stadium in disbelief. That drive came after the Ravens' Ray Rice scored on a jaw-dropping 48-yard pass play from Flacco. Rice made half the Bengals miss, and he was able to keep his balance without letting his knee touch the ground. Ravens: Rice 48 pass from Flacco (Hauschka kick)

Ed "Mr. Big Play" Reed made two of them in the second quarter. The first put the Ravens on the board when he came halfway across the field on a dead run to pick off Carson Palmer and return the interception 52 yards for the touchdown, his sixth career interception returned for a score. He has a total of 13 touchdowns in his career. He also punched the ball out of Chad Ochocinco's arm as the wide receiver was running deep in Ravens territory, causing a fumble that was recovered by Domonique Foxworth.