After winning the AFC North last year, the Cincinnati Bengals came into this season with high expectations. After losing three in a row, it may be time to temper those expectations.

Cincinnati tries to avoid a winless October when it hosts the Miami Dolphins on Sunday.

The Bengals (2-4) have looked like a far cry from the team that finished 10-6 in 2009. They already trail division-leading Pittsburgh by three games and have dropped three straight, though each of those losses came by a one-score margin.

"At the end of the day, it's not as bad as it looks and it's not as good as it looks," defensive tackle Tank Johnson said. "We've got to figure out how to get to .500. We're trying to climb out of this hole."

The Bengals are surrendering 23.5 points per game, nearly a touchdown more than the 18.2 they allowed in 2009. They've given up an average of 31.0 in their four losses.

"I think there are some differences," coach Marvin Lewis said. "I talked to the coaches about it this morning, and I talked to the defensive players about it. I pointed out to them where things are different, and things that they did very well last year."

The defense endured its worst performance of the season in last Sunday's 39-32 loss to Atlanta, yielding season highs in both points and total yards (452). Even with Miami averaging 18.5 points -- second-fewest in the AFC -- the Bengals know they'll need to come out focused Sunday.

"This is a critical time for this football team," safety Chris Crocker said.

As the defense continues to struggle, the offense showed signs of life last week with a season-best 469 yards. Carson Palmer completed 36 of 50 passes for a season-high 412 yards and three touchdowns, one each to Chad Ochocinco, Jordan Shipley and Terrell Owens.

Owens, who caught nine passes for 88 yards to give him 412 over the last three weeks, was pleased with the team's persistence in making the game competitive after trailing 24-3 at halftime.

"At some point, we have to have a lot of pride like we did in the second half," he said. "Surely we can be the team that everyone expected us to be as we continue in the season."

The Dolphins (3-3) are 3-0 on the road but fell to 0-3 at home after last Sunday's 23-22 loss to Pittsburgh, which ended in bizarre fashion as the referees awarded the Steelers the ball after Ben Roethlisberger fumbled it into the end zone. The ruling set up the deciding field goal with 2:26 remaining.

Given Miami's results in 2010, quarterback Chad Henne is looking forward to another game away from home.

"Yeah I mean we have some confidence going on the road," he said. "For us it's just keep on improving and play as well as we can. This is a very big game for us. We don't want another game to slip by."

Henne completed 23 of 36 passes for 257 yards with a touchdown and an interception against Pittsburgh as Miami struggled to get things going with its rushing attack, compiling a season-low 64 yards on the ground.

The running back tandem of Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams could have an easier time finding holes Sunday against a Bengals defense allowing 118.0 rushing yards per game.

"With the addition of (wide receiver) Brandon (Marshall), we've been trying to find a way to mix the run and the pass," Williams said. "I think the past couple of weeks we're starting to figure it out."

The Dolphins have lost their last two meetings with the Bengals after taking nine straight from 1978-2000. Miami is seeking its first 4-0 road start since 2003.