The offense moves in inches, not yards. The punter has tied the club record for a game twice already. Players are wondering how many of them are going to be gone in a few months, the fallout from another abysmal season.

The Cincinnati Bengals are inching their way toward one of the worst finishes in their tortured history.

A 34-3 embarrassment against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday dropped the Bengals to 1-10-1, the second-worst record in the NFL. Only the 0-12 Detroit Lions are worse at this point, with a much tougher schedule that makes it unlikely the Bengals could fall past them.

The low mark in franchise history was a 2-14 finish in 2002 that got Dick LeBeau fired and prompted the Bengals to make a bold move and look outside the organization for its next coach. In Marvin Lewis’ sixth season, they’ve come full-circle.

Lewis has two years left on his contract, so he’s safe unless he tries to wrest more control of the organization from owner Mike Brown after the season. But a lot of changes are expected, particularly on an offense that sets a new low virtually each week.

“Contrary to what people may believe, you don’t think about next year when you’re in the middle of this year,” Lewis said Monday.

His players are already there.

“You would think when a team has the terrible record that we have, changes are going to be made,” receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh said. “You would assume that the changes will be for the better, that they will better your team and give you a boost.

“Obviously, for us to have this type of record, there are a lot of guys that are getting beat or aren’t doing what they are supposed to do. And so, they are going to try to get guys in here that will do a better job.”

The question is, which ones will go?

Start by looking at the offense.

Against the Ravens, the Bengals tied their franchise low by managing only six first downs. During an 18-play stretch early in the game, they gained a total of two yards.

Two yards!

Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick finished as the leading rusher with 29 yards î the third time this season that he’s led the Bengals in running. The offensive line can’t open holes for the running backs or keep pass rushers off the quarterback for very long.

“That has been a sad song all season,” offensive guard Bobbie Williams said. “But at some point, we have to overcome that and play like a football team is supposed to.”

Oh, there’s more. Kyle Larson tied the club record with 11 punts on Sunday, the second time in three games that he’s punted that many times. The Bengals are on pace to punt 109 times, which would shatter the club mark of 95 and threaten the NFL mark of 116 by the expansion Houston Texans in 2002.

The Bengals are missing quarterback Carson Palmer, who has been sidelined for eight games with a partially torn ligament and tendon in his passing elbow. They went 0-4 with him, 1-6-1 with Fitzpatrick filling in. Even if Palmer had stayed healthy, it might not have made that much of a difference, given the depth of the problems.

“Everybody has injuries,” Houshmandzadeh said. “We just have a big one in Carson. But New England has a big one in Tom Brady, and they are going to go to the playoffs.”

There are questions about the roster as well, with Houshmandzadeh eligible for free agency and Palmer unsure whether he’ll need reconstructive elbow surgery. The Bengals also have to decide what to do with receiver Chad Ocho Cinco, who has two years left on his deal as well.

The defense has improved this season under coordinator Mike Zimmer, who was brought in to shake things up. Offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski could be the one to go this offseason. In an interview Monday with The Cincinnati Enquirer and the team’s Web site, Brown indicated he was content with the coaches’ effort.

“They are the same people who have been here for years now,” Brown said. “They coach the same. They are teachers. They do their jobs.”

As for Lewis, the owner said, “I think in many ways he has done an incredibly good job. Our players still try hard. He has them out there trying to the best of their ability.”