That might be how the Bengals watched games yesterday while most of the rest of the NFL kicked off its season. 

As they rested for tonight's opener against the Baltimore Ravens in Paul Brown Stadium, they saw plenty of reason for encouragement and one big reason for concern.  Of their eight nondivisional opponents that played yesterday, five lost: Kansas City, the New York Jets, Buffalo, St. Louis and Miami. Only New England, Tennessee and Seattle won. After a brutal schedule last season, the prospect of an easier slate should be encouraging for Cincinnati.  But Pittsburgh's rout of Cleveland gave the Bengals reason to reach for the antacid. While it looks as if the Browns -- next week's opponent -- are again going nowhere, it's just as clear Pittsburgh hasn't gone away. With Mike Tomlin taking over as coach after 15 years of Bill Cowher, many wondered whether the Steelers would face a bumpy transition.

Yesterday's performance indicates they won't, which puts even more urgency on the Bengals tonight. Cincinnati doesn't want to open the season in a hole against both Pittsburgh and Baltimore, the defending AFC North champion.  "They're the defending division champs," Bengals right tackle Willie Anderson said. "We always say division games count as two games. To play it this early in the season, it's going to be a big game for both sides. Everybody's trying to start racing in trying to win the toughest division in football. To get a chance this early is a big test for this football team."

There's little doubt about that. The Ravens were 13-3 last year and are regarded as legitimate Super Bowl contenders. The Bengals are eager to show they've matured from last season's 8-8 season and are championship contenders as well.  A loss in the first game of a 16-game season wouldn't be devastating, but it could be telling. Since the NFL adopted a 16-game schedule in 1978, 216 of 410 opening-game winners made it to the playoffs. Only 96 of the losing teams did. In the eight seasons the Bengals have qualified for the playoffs, they won their opener seven times.

Cincinnati might not have the natural rivalry with the Ravens that it does with the Steelers and Browns, but there's enough of a link to make the game intriguing. From an X's-and-O's perspective, Cincinnati's high-powered offense versus Baltimore's punishing defense is captivating. The Ravens allowed the fewest yards in the NFL last year.

"Year in and year out, I can't think of the last time they weren't No. 1 in some of the defensive categories, if not all of them," Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer said. "That's what you want to play against, especially to set the tone for your season."

Add Bengals coach Marvin Lewis' background as the defensive coordinator of the Ravens' Super Bowl championship team and the significance of the game grows.

"With Baltimore, you kind of feel that they just won the Super Bowl, even though that was in 2000," Palmer said. "I don't know if that's because Marvin came from there and always talks about Baltimore and his guys and you get sick of hearing about all of that. But it just seems like they're ex-Super Bowl champs and you want to knock them off."

Columbus Disptach

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