Bills Can Build on This; Bengals Try to Recover

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. —  As the Buffalo Bills look forward to a promising future, the Cincinnati Bengals face another offseason of uncertainty and frustration.

The bumbling Bengals, who haven’t had a winning season in 12 years, ended 2002 with a 27-9 loss to the Bills on Sunday.

Along with clinching the NFL’s worst record and the right to the No. 1 pick in next April’s draft, the Bengals (2-14) set franchise records for fewest wins and most losses in a season.

“It’s not any fun for any of us,” Bengal Coach Dick LeBeau said. “Life is about living. We aren’t happy with what happened this year, but we are looking forward to 2003 and getting things straightened around.”

Whether LeBeau, whose record is 12-33 since taking over in 2000, will be around to be part of the perennial rebuilding process is unclear.

Bengal owner Mike Brown is anticipated to make a decision on his coaching staff as early as this week.

It’s a different story in Buffalo, where the Bills (8-8) made significant strides in erasing the dreadful memories of last year’s 3-13 finish.

Drew Bledsoe had a good game to cap his first season in Buffalo. He completed 23 of 31 passes for 231 yards with a touchdown and scored on a seven-yard run.