(My Sportsbook) - This past Sunday was a familiar scene for the Cincinnati Bengals: Fans seething in disgust, with paper bags shielding their identity and demonstrating their disapproval, as a visiting powerhouse came to town and trampled their team as usual.

Only this time, Cincinnati played the role of powerhouse.

In front of a desultory crowd at Ford Field, where many patrons wore orange and black out of protest, the Bengals looked right at home as they trounced the Detroit Lions, 41-17, to capture their first division title since 1990.

And as it turned out, not all of the orange in the crowd was worn out of rebellion. Many of Cincinnati's faithful made the trek to watch their team secure the AFC North, and descended closer to the field as the Lions fans began to trickle out. Soon their own chants of "Marvin, Marvin, Marvin" drowned out the call of "Fire Millen," as they watched head coach Marvin Lewis receive a much-unwanted Gatorade bath.

"It's a great day to be a Bengal," said quarterback Carson Palmer, who threw for 274 yards and three touchdowns. "Our fans are awesome. They always are. Bengals fans are great."

Those fans are now guaranteed their first home playoff game in 15 long years. The only question now is, when?

Having won four straight games and six of their last seven, the Bengals have put themselves in a position to vie for the No. 2 seed in the AFC and secure a first-round bye.

Denver, which owns an identical 11-3 record but owns the tiebreaker, is currently in the driver's seat. All Cincy can do now is win out, and hope that the Broncos fall in one of their final two games.

The Bengals wrangle with the Buffalo Bills this Saturday at home, and finish with a tough game at Arrowhead against the playoff-hopeful Kansas City Chiefs.

"(The division title) means a lot but there's still a lot to do," Lewis said. "I'm excited about the opportunities. I know I sound too much like a coach, but I'm worrying about what's ahead."

Simply making the playoffs is no longer enough for Cincinnati. That is welcome news for a fan base that can easily sympathize with Detroit, even if it means they have to wait an extra week to see their first home playoff game in nearly two decades.

RECORD BREAKING SIGNAL-CALLER

Palmer's three touchdown passes Sunday gave him 30 on the year, which eclipses the previous franchise record of 29 held by Ken Anderson in 1981, the season the Bengals lost to the San Francisco 49ers in the Super Bowl at the Pontiac Silverdome in Detroit.

WHO'S HOT

Rudi Johnson finished with 117 yards with two touchdowns on 24 carries against the Lions. He has racked up 286 yards on the ground in the last two games alone.

WHO'S NOT

Keiwan Ratliff averaged just 6.3 yards on his three punt returns Sunday.

UP NEXT

The Bengals play host to the disappointing Buffalo Bills on Christmas Eve. A win in this game ensures that the 2005 club will finish with at least a 12-4 mark, which would match the franchise record set by the 1981 and 1988 AFC Championship teams. If the Bengals win out, they would be the best regular- season team in Cincinnati's history.