By Thomas George
National Columnist
http://nfl.fanhouse.com/
November 9, 2010
Carson Palmer is sacked by Pittsburgh Steelers' James Farrior during the second half of their NFL football game at the Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio November 8, 2010. (Reuters)CINCINNATI -- Just one look at the sheer torture on Chad Ochocinco's face late Monday night told the story. Of course, this high-strung Bengals receiver was, in part, near tears because he caught only pass one for 15 yards against the Steelers here at Paul Brown Stadium.
Uno. Oh-oh.
It is a season where he has become pure decoy and second option to Terrell Owens. It has made him irritable and antsy.
But his look of torment also reflected what happened to the Bengals and their season in this 27-21 loss to the Steelers, which dropped the Bengals to 2-6.
It made their high hopes for the playoffs and the Super Bowl, in effect, toast. Roasted. A crying shame.
But you often get what you deserve in this league and the Bengals -- while fluctuating in their play in this game, in their season, from awful to spectacular and all points in-between -- certainly earned their standing. They keep putting their right foot in front of their left foot and then get tangled and tripped. It's a sore sight.
And with a game at Indianapolis next, and with the Jets, Saints, Steelers again, Chargers and Ravens down the road, well, let's just say that the Bengals were looking to win this game, get to a 3-5 record and set themselves up for a run at that stiff challenge. At 2-6 and with what lies ahead? Toast. Roasted. A crying shame.
They won the AFC North last season and swept all of the teams in it. They were a playoff team that finally unlocked the keys to winning in this defensive-minded division. Run it, run it some more and play great defense. Hit some shots in the passing game and always play more physical than the other guys.
But this season, the Bengals added Owens, tried to appease Ochocinco, tried to become more varied and more dangerous in their pass offense as an answer to going further in postseason play. Problem is, to get to the postseason, they needed more of last year's formula.
This team was frustrating to watch from the opening kickoff Monday. They fumbled that to Pittsburgh, giving the Steelers a short field and eventually a gift touchdown. Then Cincinnati suffered a blocked punt. That led to a Steelers field goal and 10-0 lead. The Bengals would miss two field goals -- the margin of their loss. They allowed a flea-flicker touchdown pass.
Then they scrambled in the in the fourth quarter, scoring 14 unanswered points and making a game of it. They drove the ball to the Pittsburgh 12 and faced fourth-and-5 with 34 seconds left -- convert and score and make the kick and they win, 28-27. But quarterback Carson Palmer's pass to rookie Jordan Shipley was knocked loose by Steelers James Harrison and Ike Taylor. Shipley had gained enough for the first down. But Shipley was stripped.
Bengals wide receiver Chad Ochocinco slams the ball to the ground after a play, drawing a penalty in the fourth quarter against the Pittsburgh Steelers. (The Cincinnati Enquirer/Jeff Swinger)Pittsburgh is 6-2 and has a glamour date at home against New England next Sunday night.
The Bengals limp to Indianapolis. Future bleak. A crying shame.
"The most disappointing thing is the talent we have and the high expectations and we've just killed them,'' Bengals safety Chris Crocker said. "It's the little things. They keep adding up to big things."
Fullback Brian Leonard added: "This one is going to be hard to put behind us. So many mistakes. It's been that way all season. We've got great players on paper."
But the translation keeps getting lost, Bengals running back Cedric Benson said.
"It always comes down to individual effort,'' Benson said. "Guys, myself included, have to be ready to make the play to win the game. Who's going to be that guy? We haven't had enough of guys take that role and produce in it."
Bengals linebacker Dhani Jones said he was tired of losing -- Monday made it five straight losses now for the Bengals.
Bengals coach Marvin Lewis said this loss was disappointing, "no other way around it," and there was nothing to be said to make it better. His team didn't play well enough, he said.
It has been the Bengals' story -- a hiccup there, a blow-up here, the losses piling ... frustrating, hair-pulling losses.
Steelers safety Troy Polamalu has seen it before.
"I'm telling you," he began, "we were in that situation last year. There is such a fine line in this league between the Super Bowl winner and not making the playoffs. They fought with a lot of passion tonight. But after it was over, you could tell how much the loss hurt them. You have to play defense to win in this division. We made the play on defense there to hold on to this one."
Hold on and move on.
"We just ran out of time," Palmer said.
He was talking about this loss to the Steelers. It also fits for the Bengals' season.
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