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CINCINNATI -- Carson Palmer slid behind the wheel. Chad Johnson settled into the passenger's seat, wondering if there were any good tunes in the quarterback's truck for the two-hour drive ahead.

	Johnson

	Palmer

None to his liking, as it turned out. But that's getting ahead of the story.

Off they went on a pilgrimage up Interstate 74, passing the Cow Palace restaurant and other landmarks along a stretch of Indiana highway that carves through endless fields of corn and soybeans.

The Bengals quarterback-receiver tandem was heading for Indianapolis and a chance to learn from the best in the business. The Colts had a Monday night game, and the two Bengals had tickets to watch Peyton Manning and Marvin Harrison do their stuff.

"It was just a good chance for us to watch the two guys that we both look up to and the combination of quarterback-receiver that we want to be and aspire to be," Palmer said. "It was just a good chance to see what they do and how they do it, and steal some stuff from them and just try to get to where they are."

They learned a lot.

The Colts beat the Minnesota Vikings 31-28 on Nov. 8, 2004. Manning threw four touchdown passes, and Harrison topped 800 career receptions with his six catches.

	Harrison

	Manning

Sitting inconspicuously in end zone seats that Johnson got through Colts running back Edgerrin James -- his offseason workout partner -- the two visitors from Cincinnati made mental notes on everything that Manning and Harrison did.

"They don't come over and sit down on the sideline and drink a cup of Gatorade," Palmer said. "They're over there talking."

Johnson notice how the duo communicated on the field through small gestures or looks, staying one step ahead of the Vikings defense.

"It's something that Carson and I are trying to get to," Johnson said. "We're doing it pretty cool at this point, but we're nowhere near where they are."

On Sunday, Palmer and Johnson get to show the 9-0 Colts how far they've developed since that Monday night game. The Bengals are 7-2 largely because of the young quarterback and receiver are developing so fast.

Palmer is second in the NFL with a passer rating of 106.3 -- Manning is next at 104.6. Earlier this season, Palmer tied Manning's league record of nine consecutive games with a rating of 100.

"I'm a big fan of quarterbacks," Manning said. "I like to see young quarterbacks come and work hard in the offseason and get on the same page with their receivers, and be committed to being a good player for a long time."

Johnson is growing, too. He's tied with Harrison for second in the AFC with 53 catches, building on his second Pro Bowl appearance.

Palmer and Johnson have a dozen touchdowns together after 22 games. Manning and Harrison have teamed up for 90 touchdowns, an NFL record still way out of reach.

"They set the standard," Johnson said. "Like Jerry Rice sets the standard for what receivers need to accomplish or the goals they need to be breaking, Marvin and Peyton have set the standard for how a quarterback-receiver tandem want to be."

Palmer thinks that he and his road partner can be as special as Manning and Harrison someday.

"We know we're going to be with each other for a long time," Palmer said. "Whatever records they've set, we're hopefully going to get a chance to beat and break."

Manning wasn't aware that the two Bengals were in the stands watching him that night. He was impressed and amused when he read about it later.

"I'm not sure what they got out of watching the game, but I guarantee they got something productive out of the two-hour car drive," Manning said. "That can be a valuable experience in bonding and win a game for you down the road."

Well, maybe not.

Palmer doesn't remember much about the drive to Indianapolis, other than that the two players with totally different personalities talked and listened to some music.

"People are so intrigued with his car ride, like Chad was teaching me how to rap," Palmer said, chuckling. "I don't know what people think was going on. It was just a normal car ride."

Normal for Palmer, perhaps.

"It was boring," Johnson said. "I mean, Carson is boring. The music selection was boring. The only fun thing was the game that we watched. It was cool.

"We have grown, and that's part of the success we're having now. That little trip might not mean a lot to others, but it's taken our play to another level."

Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press