The Cincinnati Bengals’ 4-1 record this season holds pole position in the tough AFC North, which also includes the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers, but it also shows a newly built character and trait never exhibited before now.

A shocker to say the least, head coach Marvin Lewis looked like he was existing stage left when his team lost the season opener, at home, to the Denver Broncos. A poor and low scoring game, every Bengal watched as Broncos wide receiver Brandon Stokley turned a play from nothing into something that had never been done before in the NFL.

Stokley completed the longest game-winning play from scrimmage in the final minute of the fourth quarter; that play went into the history books of the league. The 87-yard touchdown play [Stokley finished the game with 87 yards] stunned the Bengals and everyone thought another collapse and bad season was in the air.

But Lewis and his team turned it around with quarterback Carson Palmer leading Cincinnati to a crucial road win against the Packers in Green Bay. Palmer rushed for a touchdown in the second quarter along with his TD passes to wide receivers Chad Ochocinco, Laveranues Coles and Chris Henry in a game the Bengals ran away with a slim 31-24 win.

That game was not as important or as exhilarating as the battle between the Bengals and their division rivals the Steelers. Palmer was at it again and bringing them back against the Steelers at home in the waning minutes of the game.

To say that the individuals involved in getting the Bengals to where they are, includes Palmer, Ochocinco, Cedric Benson and coach Lewis would be an understatement. For a while only three have been the faces attributed to the franchise until now with Benson’s arrival with his numbers saying much more than he needs to.

Whenever you mention Cincinnati, you think of Palmer and he made sure people are talking about the Bengals this season, with his 4-yard touchdown pass to Andre Caldwell against Pittsburgh with only 14 seconds left. Cincinnati won the game 23-20.

If the Bengals had lost that game, one that the Steelers dominated, it would have been 1-2 record heading into their next game against the then-winless Cleveland Browns.

Most importantly, that win was a turning point in their young season. The touchdown pass from Palmer literally ended the Steelers almost decade-long dominance of the Bengals in their home in Cincinnati.

By the time Lewis led the Bengals to Cleveland to face the Browns, he did not need to talk to his team about confidence in themselves. The players knew they had their “mojo” back once they fought hard to defeat the Steelers.

Even though they barely squeaked past the Browns 23-20 in overtime, Cincinnati players, especially Palmer, told coach Lewis they wanted to win the game nothing else, not even a tie would suffice, but an outright win.

The timeout that was called was a smart choice. It game Cincinnati the opportunity to gamble on fourth down with 11 yards to complete the play, and with one minute left on the clock.

All their four wins this season, so far, have all come down to the wire. All their five games have been decided by seven or fewer points as they have won three consecutive games by three points each.

With all these close wins, the Bengals have been tested in more ways than one. Their character and identity has been questioned and challenged, and it shows why they are leading the AFC North instead of the Ravens or the Steelers.

Just last Sunday, they defeated the Ravens in another close one, 17-14. Both teams went into that game with a 3-1 record and the knowledge that the winner takes over sole possession of first place in the division.

Once again, Palmer threw to Caldwell, who as you can imagine scored on the 20-yard touchdown pass with 22 seconds left in the game. It looked like a movie and we had seen this script before. Didn’t Palmer throw to Caldwell against the Steelers also with literally no time left on the clock? He did the same again when they played the Ravens.

Though Caldwell, who began the season as the team’s kick returner, already, has two crucial touchdown catches, Ochocinco still leads the team in touchdowns (3) and receiving yards (352).

Benson the team’s running back has just quietly climbed the chart as he leads the NFL in rushing yards (487) ahead of Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson, Chris Johnson from the Tennessee Titans and the St. Louis Rams’ Steven Jackson.

Obviously their ground is producing and coach Lewis can throw different options at teams with the Bengals’ current performance and momentum.

Heading into this weekend’s game against the Houston Texans, Palmer is carrying around a bad thumb on his non-throwing hand; an injury he sustained against the Ravens. But he might just hand the ball off to Benson who by the way scored a touchdown in the game against Baltimore.

With a win on Sunday at home against the Texans, the Bengals have a chance at history. A fifth consecutive win in a season, would equal their 1988 season when they went 6-0 to start and went all the way to the Super Bowl.