CINCINNATI (AP) -- When you've got a problem on offense, there's no better place to get it fixed than Cincinnati.

Balky running games shift into the next gear when they're pointed at the Bengals defense. Passing games that have sputtered all season suddenly purr.

Priest Holmes. Az-Zahir Hakim. Tshimanga Biakabutuka. One player after another has enjoyed career days against the Bengals in the past two seasons.

The Jacksonville Jaguars get a chance to join the list Sunday, and it's coming at a good time for them. Their offense is a headache and the Bengals are the NFL's equivalent of aspirin -- take two halves and feel a lot better Monday morning.

"It's like Priest Holmes last year," linebacker Takeo Spikes said. "Whoever's on the slow track when they play against us, somehow they're going to find a way to get back on track."

The Jaguars have plenty of guys in ruts. Mark Brunell has thrown only three touchdown passes, running back Fred Taylor has failed to score and the receiving corps has lost its knack for big plays.

The Jaguars' bye week allowed Brunell to rest the strained muscles in his side and gave Taylor a chance to rehabilitate his strained hamstring. Both are expected to play Sunday, so things are looking up already.

"I think we're feeling better about ourselves," receiver Keenan McCardell said. "I think we'll click better this week. We've got a chance to play well and show everyone the offense is still here.

"I think people are kind of doubting us on offense, but they shouldn't. We've got too many weapons. And it's going to come together soon."

It wouldn't be a precedent if it came together Sunday. Brunell already is on that list of players with career days against the Bengals. He had the first four-touchdown game of his career last November in a 34-17 victory in Cincinnati.

He'll be throwing against a defense that's prone to giving up big plays. Last Sunday in Indianapolis, Marvin Harrison had eight catches for 156 yards, including a 56-yard touchdown reception on the Colts' third play of the game.

"I think physically we're giving 100 percent, but mentally I don't know what it is," Spikes said. "I know Marvin Harrison's a good receiver. He may go to the Pro Bowl. I wish him all the luck in the world. But I don't think he's as good as we made him look."

The Jacksonville offense hasn't looked very good so far, scoring only nine touchdowns in six games.

"Offensively, we've been a little frustrated, because we haven't had the big play down the field," receiver Jimmy Smith said. "But the good thing is we haven't played our best offensive game yet. You want to play your best football in November and December, so that's the good thing about it."

The Jaguars are winning in large measure because of their defense, ranked No. 1 in the NFL. They've given up 59 points, fewest in the league, and haven't allowed a team to pass for 200 net yards.

"When I came here, there was a lot of emphasis on how the defense had not been playing up to the standards that were set around here," said safety Carnell Lake, who arrived from Pittsburgh. "This defense is just emerging to the point where it can be a dominant force in the NFL."

It gets to dig in Sunday against a rookie quarterback. After leading a last-minute drive for a one-point win over Cleveland in his debut, Akili Smith has failed to produce a touchdown against Pittsburgh and Indianapolis.

"We're having too many breakdowns," Smith said. "On certain plays, I may have somebody open, but the offensive line may miss a guy. Or the line may do a great job and I make the wrong read. It goes all the way through the whole game."

When they decided to turn the season into a learning experience for Smith, the Bengals essentially resigned themselves to finishing the 1990s with the worst record in the NFL -- a league-leading 102 losses and counting.

The Jaguars are closing out the decade headed in the opposite direction. They're 5-1 for the third consecutive year; they've never gone 6-1.

"We call this a critical time in our season," coach Tom Coughlin said. "We've been 5-1 three times in the history of our franchise and it's very important that we make a strong push here in the middle of our season."

JACKSONVILLE Season schedule and results

CINCINNATI Season schedule and results

September 12 San Francisco W 41-3 September 19 @Carolina W 22-20 September 26 Tennessee L 19-20 October 3 @Pittsburgh W 17-3 October 11 @NY Jets W 16-6 October 17 Cleveland W 24-7 October 31 @Cincinnati 1:00pm ET November 7 @Atlanta 1:00pm ET November 14 Baltimore 4:05pm ET November 21 New Orleans 8:20pm ET November 28 @Baltimore 1:00pm ET December 2 Pittsburgh 8:20pm ET December 13 Denver 9:00pm ET December 19 @Cleveland 1:00pm ET December 26 @Tennessee 1:00pm ET January 2 Cincinnati 1:00pm ET

September 12 @Tennessee L 35-36 September 19 San Diego L 7-34 September 26 @Carolina L 3-27 October 3 St. Louis L 10-38 October 10 @Cleveland W 18-17 October 17 Pittsburgh L 3-17 October 24 @Indianapolis L 10-31 October 31 Jacksonville 1:00pm ET November 7 @Seattle 4:15pm ET November 14 Tennessee 1:00pm ET November 21 Baltimore 4:05pm ET November 28 @Pittsburgh 1:00pm ET December 5 San Francisco 1:00pm ET December 12 Cleveland 1:00pm ET December 26 @Baltimore 1:00pm ET January 2 @Jacksonville 1:00pm ET

Records source: STATS, Inc.

Copyright 1999 STATS, Inc. Commercial distribution without the express written consent of STATS is prohibited.