Cincinnati Bengals choke

The Cincinnati Bengals lost to the Houston Texans today 20-19. And they did it in classic Bengals fashion. Epic loss. It doesn't sound that epic but trust me if you were leading all day and lose the game in the last two minutes, it's heartbreaking. If I weren't so encouraged by Bengals QB Andy Dalton and WR A.J. Green, I would be writing Bengals comedy right now.

Give the Texans credit. They lose their best player in defensive end Mario Williams, starting quarterback Matt Schaub, and stud wide receiver Andre Johnson. Yet, they find ways to win. On the other hand they lose all their best players and you lose a game you're ahead 16-3 at the end of the first half? Hold on. You let a third string rookie quarterback in T.J. Yates beat you? Oy vey.

The game was probably lost in the first quarter. Bengals running back Cedric Benson runs for 42 yards to the one yard line. False start by the Bengals offensive line and they're moved back five yards. DOH! Bengals fail to punch the ball in and must settle for a field goal. That's four points off the boards. As Bengals wide receiver Andrew Hawkins said after the game, it was play here and play there. Yeah and you also must score touchdowns when you're in the red zone. And if you let teams hang around for four quarters, you've got a chance to lose. The Texans made clutch plays. The Bengals did not. So it came down to the last two and half minutes. The Texans drive down for eighty yards. To pour salt in the Bengals wounds, two ex-Bengals beat them. Texan wide receiver Kevin Walter caught the game tying touchdown and kicker Neil Rackers kicked the extra point for the win. DOH!

A loss like this, should spell the end for the Bengals season. The wild card is slipping away. The Bengals will need help from other teams. It's hard to count the Bengals out. Guys like Andy Dalton and A.J. Green are winners. Three more games to go Bengals fans. Let's hope for a Bengals miracle.