The Cincinnati Bengals have reached the playoffs in five straight seasons. Unfortunately, that streak will come to an end after losing A.J. Green in a loss to the Buffalo Bills.
Andy Dalton threw short to A.J. Green in the left flat. The throw was incomplete, but the play was far from over. Green clutched at the back of his left leg and began yelling, holding onto his quadriceps. The trainers rushed out. So did the cart.
In front of a shell-shocked Paul Brown Stadium, Green was carted off to the locker room. It’s believed Green could be out for the season with a torn hamstring, something that would serve as the final nail in the Cincinnati coffin.
The Bengals lost at home, 16-12, allowing Buffalo to hand them their sixth loss. At 3-6-1, Cincinnati is all but assured to miss the postseason for the first time since 2010, the last year before Andy Dalton was drafted in the second round.
Cincinnati needs to make some changes if it is going to ever win its elusive first Super Bowl. Chief among the alterations needs to be head coach Marvin Lewis, who has simply run out of talking points for a stale locker room. Lewis has been in charge since 2003, and has reached the playoffs seven times. He has never won a game once there.
In addition, the Bengals need owner Mike Brown to become less involved and more invested. Cincinnati is always among the top of the league in cap space. The franchise is notorious for eschewing free agency while allowing top players to leave after their rookie deals. Without Green – who was signed after his initial pact to four years and $60 million – the Bengals have Brandon LaFell and Tyler Boyd starting on the outside. If Brown had spent money this offseason, he could have Marvin Jones and Mohamed Sanu.
As aforementioned, Brown has to hire a general manager. He and Jerry Jones are the only two men in the NFL serving in both owner and GM roles, something that is both undesirable and highly difficult.
Eventually, the Bengals have to pay for talent and cultivate it. That’s not going to happen if Brown doesn’t change, and is Lewis stays employed. Neither Brown, nor Lewis, are doing their jobs well enough to win.
The only difference is that in 2016, the fall came in November, not January.
Power rankings
Kickers who cant hit extra points
1. Mike Nugent, Cincinnati Bengals
2. Connor Barth, Chicago Bears
3. Robbie Gould, New York Giants
4. Cody Parkey, Cleveland Browns
5. Matt Prater, Detroit Lions
6. Kai Forbath, Minnesota Vikings
7. Stephen Gostkowski, New England Patriots
8. Stephen Hauschka, Seattle Seahawks
Quotable
"“It means a lot with the pedigree of this position playing for the Dallas Cowboys. It means a lot to me to go out there and break a record. It’s one step more to where we want to be. One step more to greatness.”"
-Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott on breaking the franchise’s rookie rushing mark
Elliott is the runaway NFL Rookie of the Year. On Sunday, Elliott added to his terrific campaign with another 97 rushing yards against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday. With the effort, Elliott has 1,102 yards on the ground, breaking the mark set by Tony Dorsett in 1977.
Also in 1977? The Cowboys won the Super Bowl.
Random stat
Of the 32 NFL teams, four are named after birds. Of the four, the Eagles, Falcons, Cardinals and Ravens, only Baltimore has won a Super Bowl.
Info learned this week
1. Bucs snap Arrowhead win streak for Chiefs
Tampa Bay was able to beat the Chiefs in their own building, something no opponent had done since Week 5 of last year. Jameis Winston threw for more than 300 yards while the Buccaneers racked up over 100 rushing yards. The win puts Tampa Bay at 5-5 and in the NFC wild card hunt.
Meanwhile, Andy Reid and Alex Smith will be roasted all week. Smith threw a brutal interception in the end zone with time winding down in the fourth quarter. The Chiefs were trailing 12-10 at the time, and had a goal-to-go situation. Reid called an inexplicable timeout at the end of the first half, allowing Tampa Bay to kick a field goal. He also called a jet sweep to Travis Kelce on First and Goal on the first series of the game, resulting in a six-yard loss and an eventual field goal.
2. Colts deal Titans crushing loss
Indianapolis was able to hold off the Titans in Lucas Oil Stadium on Sunday, winning 24-17. Tennessee was gashed throughout the first half, falling behind 21-0. The Colts were able to move to 5-5 and second place in the AFC South, while the Titans dropped to 5-6.
For Tennessee, this loss shows what most responsible analysts already knew. The Titans are much-improved, but a bad defense and a questionable head coach remain. As for the Colts, they saved their season. Will it matter in the long run? We have to wait and see.
3. Goff struggles for Rams in pro debut
The Jared Goff experience is underway, and judging from the size of the crowd at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, it might not be gripping the nation. Goff was bad against the Dolphins, consistently missing with inaccurate throws.
When it was mercifully over, Goff has completed 16-of-30 throws for 144 yards. All that said, the Rams have to be fine with this. They knew Goff would be rough in the short-term, but at least it serves a purpose. Playing Case Keenum? No purpose.
4. Redskins put Packers down for count
On Sunday night, Washington put Green Bay to sleep for the rest of 2016. At 4-6, the Packers are done and deservedly so, after their defense allowed another 42 points after giving up 47 a week ago in Tennessee. At some point, pride has to kick in. That is yet to happen for the men from Titletown.
On the other hand, the Redskins are rolling. After an 0-2, Washington is 6-1-1 and playing some of the best football around. Kirk Cousins and Co. gets their shot at revenge this Thursday on national television against the Cowboys, who beat them in Week 2. If Washington can win, the NFC East race is on.
5. Mexico sees another game come to town
For the first time since the 49ers and Cardinals met in 2005, there will be an NFL game in Mexico. Come Monday night, the Raiders will technically host the Texans in a contest that has all kinds of AFC ramifications.
Whoever wins this game will be the second seed in the AFC with only six weeks remaining, following Kansas City’s loss. The Texans are 6-3 and trying to stack wins before playing a very tough closing schedule. Oakland, 7-2, can certainly say the same. It should be a quality primetime game for a change.
History lesson
Not all franchises are created equal. It took the New Orleans Saints a good 20 seasons for their first winning campaign (1987). New Orleans would not win its first playoff game until 2002.
The Carolina Panthers and Jacksonville Jaguars came into being in 1995. Both were in their respective conference title games in 1996. Jacksonville got there with an all-time upset in the Divisional round, beating the Denver Broncos at Mile High Stadium as a 14-point underdog.
Parting shot
With their win on Sunday, the Pittsburgh Steelers moved into a tie for first place in the AFC North. While 5-5 is nothing special, the Steelers have a chance to make some serious noise in the postseason should they get in.
Pittsburgh faced a must-win against Cleveland. A loss would have meant going the way of the Chargers, Jets, Bengals and Titans, who are complete non-factors in the conference. Now, the Steelers and Colts will do battle on Thursday night, with the winner in decent shape.