Carson Palmer's answer to the question of why he doesn't just stop playing this season is tied directly to the message Marvin Lewis has given his team this week.

The goal, now that the Bengals have won their first game to give them a 1-8 record heading into their off weekend, is to finish with eight victories in a row and somehow, some way eek into playoff contention.

Palmer, who has not played since Oct. 5 at Dallas because of an inflamed right elbow, said Wednesday that he will see another two doctors and a rehab specialist when he visits California over the bye weekend.

The Bengals do not play Sunday and will return to action Nov. 16 at home against Philadelphia.

"Just check in and hopefully be ready to roll," Palmer said of his possible return to the field next week.

"Nothing is different. It's not any more or any less important than another week," he said when asked if the bye week were vital to his potential recovery. "I'm still going to rehab and continue to do the things I'm doing."

A decision on what he might do the remainder of the season, Palmer said, is "getting closer -- slowly getting closer."

He wants to keep playing. He was asked why he doesn't just end his season and give up getting back on the field.

"We still have seven games left. We can still end up at 8-8," Palmer said. "You never know what can happen in this league. I've only been in it for six years, but strange things happen. You can't say right now that one team can or can't make the playoffs. You could find a way to slip into a wildcard spot at 8-8. I'm not going to say it's going to happen, but I'm not going to say it's not going to happen. So all I can do is to continue to rehab and get as healthy as possible."

After playing the Eagles, the Bengals are at Pittsburgh on Nov. 20 and return home for Baltimore on Nov. 30.

Ryan Fitzpatrick has made five starts, Palmer four.

"It starts with Philadelphia," said Fitzpatrick, who threw two touchdowns Sunday to Chad Ocho Cinco in the upset of Jacksonville and led the Bengals on touchdown drives of 14 and 10 plays on their first two possessions.

"We have some time," Fitzpatrick said of preparing for the Eagles. "We're excited. We're excited about this last game and the result of it. We're excited with the progression we've made the past few weeks. There has been some good stuff offensively that we haven't done before."