Was there any pain? "Nope," said Palmer, who estimated he threw 30 passes.

He threw passes within 40 yards in a seven-on-seven drill with no chance of being contacted by defensive players.

"I threw a couple of long balls, it felt good. Everything felt good," he said.

Is surgery less of a possibility now? "Yes," Palmer said. "We'll evaluate it after we get through this process."

Is there a drop-dead date for the decision? "No, but the sooner the better," Palmer said. "It'll be at the end of this week."

Officially, he did not practice Wednesday.

PLAYER NOTES

--LT Levi Jones (hamstring) remains doubtful to play Sunday against the Chiefs. Jones was one of four players not practicing Wednesday.

--WR Chad Ocho Cinco (hamstring) did not practice.

--DT Pat Sims (upper arm) did not practice.

--RB Cedric Benson (ankle) was limited.

--CB Jamar Fletcher (back) was limited.

--RB Kenny Watson (hamstring) was limited.

--CB Leon Hall was named AFC Defensive Player of the Week for his three-interception performance in the victory at Cleveland.

Hall tied a franchise record with the three-interception game, and he returned his first pick for a 50-yard touchdown.

"It's a good feeling to be honored like that. At the same time, I think of it as a team accomplishment because of the shutout we had," Hall said.

The last Bengals player to win an AFC player of the week award was wide receiver Chad Ocho Cinco, who had 12 receptions for 103 yards and three touchdowns on Nov. 25, 2007 against the Titans. The last Bengal to win the defensive award was linebacker Brian Simmons in November 2005 for his role in a 21-9 victory at Baltimore.

--RT Stacy Andrews has yet to have surgery on his injured right knee, in which he tore the ACL and other ligaments Sunday at Cleveland.

"I'm ready to get the surgery in and get it back strong and back on the field," said Andrews, who had been expected to be one of the top unrestricted free agents on the market this coming offseason. "I mean, it's going to affect it whatever. But everything happens for a reason. I am just looking forward to getting the surgery

--OT Dennis Roland will make his first NFL start.

"It means a lot. I'm disappointed that Stacy got hurt," Roland said. "It's an opportunity to come in and play."

GAME PLAN: The Bengals want to run the ball like they did at Cleveland, when they rushed for 191 yards in the 14-0 victory. are trying to improve to 4-3-1 in their final eight games. The Chiefs are an unbelievable 2-22 in their past 24 games. Draft status is important, and the Bengals would like a victory to drop even lower in the top 10. They could up as low as seventh overall. The Bengals have a chance to leap over the Browns into third place in the AFC North with a victory and a Cleveland loss at Pittsburgh. The Bengals had a 4-1 edge in turnover differential against a Browns team that was plus-9 entering the game last week. The Chiefs are plus-six; and more takeaways surely would help Cincinnati's cause Sunday.

MATCHUPS TO WATCH: Bengals RB Cedric Benson vs. Chiefs rush defense. Benson is coming off his best rushing performances of the season. So is the Bengals offensive line, especially center Eric Ghiaciuc, who pushed around a solid Browns defensive line last week. Kansas City has played poor against the run all season and come into the finale allowing an average of 155.9 yards a game on the ground, ranked 30th in the NFL. For the Bengals, Dennis Roland will get the start at right tackle for the injured Stacy Andrews.

Chiefs QB Tyler Thigpen vs. Bengals pass defense. Coach Herm Edwards, despite the presence of bruising tailback Larry Johnson, has declared the Chiefs a passing team. Thigpen had twice as many throws in the seven-point loss Sunday to Miami than the Chiefs had runs, even though conditions were frigid. Thigpen is 211-for-384 passing for 2,417 yards, 17 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. His passer rating is a respectable 75.8; he threw for 320 yards against a solid Dolphins defense but was intercepted three times. The Bengals had four interceptions and three sacks against the Browns.

INJURY IMPACT: With RT Stacy Andrews out after tearing his right ACL, Dennis Roland will get the start.