Cincinnati Bengals
Bengals wave white flag
By Jerry Beach, CNATI.com Posted January 4, 2010 2:12 AM ET
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- The message boards at the Meadowlands last night implored Jets fans to "Wave Those Towels" that had been distributed at the entrance. The Bengals, with their playoff fate assured, basically chose to do exactly that.
The Bengals collected a franchise-low 72 yards of offense while the Jets churned out 257 yards rushing against a defense that entered the game ranked second against the run in the NFL as they clinched the final playoff berth with a 37-0 win in what amounted to a wild card dress rehearsal in front of an announced crowd of 79,106 at the ice-cold and windswept Meadowlands.
The result cemented the fourth seed for the Bengals (10-6) and the fifth seed for the Jets (9-7) and created a playoff rematch Saturday, when the two teams will kick off the wild card round at 4:30 p.m. at Paul Brown Stadium. To borrow another phrase from another sport televised on another network: This time, it counts, so it's safe to assume the Bengals' second game against the Jets this week on NBC will be far more competitive and compelling than the first.
"We came out and got flat out beat in every phase of the game, top to bottom," said quarterback Carson Palmer, who was 1-of-11 for zero yards and one interception in compiling a passer rating of 1.7. "We've got to tip our hat to the Jets. They came in prepared and played harder than we did and played a lot better than we did.
"The good thing is we gave ourselves an opportunity to still be in the playoffs, even with losing in the 17th week of the season. We gave ourselves a chance to play at our facility in front of our fans and we will put out a better effort and play much better than we did tonight."
The Bengals had something to play for, at least tangentially, after the Texans came back to beat the Patriots earlier Sunday. With a win last night, the Bengals would have nudged past the Patriots for the third seed and earned a wild card date with the Texans, who needed a Jets loss to qualify for the playoffs.
"We had something to play for tonight and we didn't get it done," Bengals coach Marvin Lewis said.
But it was clear before kickoff -- when the Bengals declared starters Cedric Benson, J.P. Foschi, Robert Gather and Domata Peko -- that the Bengals would treat this game less seriously than the Jets, whose rookie head coach, Rex Ryan, said his team was eliminated from the playoff chase after a last-minute loss to the Falcons Dec. 20.
The Jets scored on five of their six first half possessions in taking a 27-0 lead. They held the ball for almost 25 minutes in the first half -- including for 11:11 on an epic 21-play, 74-yard drive that ended with a 20-yard field goal by Jay Feely -- converted their first eight third down opportunities and outgained the Bengals 250-7.
Jets receiver Brad Smith gained 92 yards in four rushes out of the Wildcat and produced the two longest runs of the season against the Bengals -- a 57-yarder that set up Thomas Jones' one-yard TD in the first quarter and a 32-yard scramble for a score that put the Jets up 17-0 in the second.
"Someone has to get off the blocks, stay in their gaps and come down and make the tackle," linebacker Dhani Jones said. "We didn't do any of that today. It showed. They had almost 300 yards rushing. That's crazy. It's a lot of yards and that is embarrassing."
The Bengals, meanwhile, had just one first down in the first half -- it was earned via penalty -- and recorded one gain of more than one yard. They failed to convert on any of their first eight third down opportunities and finished 1-for-11.
"I don't think we played to the conditions very well and I think that hurt us," Lewis said. "In windy conditions like tonight, you have to be able to make some yardage running the football and have an opportunity to get into third down and manageable situations and we didn't do a very good job of that. We didn't adjust very well to what the conditions were."
The offense showed signs of life in the second half, when Bernard Scott's 53-yard kickoff return put the Bengals in Jets territory for the first time. Larry Johnson gained 22 yards on 4th-and-2 to give the Bengals a first down at the Jets' 12, but three straight penalties sent the Bengals back 15 yards and backup quarterback J.T. O'Sullivan was flagged for intentional grounding on third down to push the Bengals out of field goal range.
A nightmarish fourth quarter for O'Sullivan -- who fumbled twice following sacks deep in Jets territory -- ensured the Bengals would be shut out for the first time since 2001 (when the Ravens, whose defensive coordinator was Lewis and Ryan was on the defensive staff, blanked the Bengals 16-0) and enter the playoffs as the coldest of the AFC playoff teams. The Bengals are 1-3 in their last four games, a mark equaled only by the Saints in the NFC.
Fortunately, the Bengals won't have to wait long for a shot at redemption. The Jets-Bengals game is one of three Week 17 rematches taking place in the wild card round.
"The good thing is we get another chance, another opportunity to go out and prove ourselves and compete," Palmer said. "There's no better way to rectify a loss than to beat that team the next week."
"There isn't much more they can do," said Chad Ochocinco, who had his team-record streak of 120 straight games with a reception snapped. "There's no trickery they can add to their game plan. We know their offensive and defensive scheme. It just comes down to executing the plays.
"We'll be all right. We'll be all right. See you guys next week."
Categories: Cincinnati Bengals, Featured Stories, News
Tags: Brad Smith, Carson Palmer, Chad Ochocino, Dhani Jones, J.T. O'Sullivan, Marvin Lewis, Rex Ryan
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