Bengals don't step up in the spotlight

Football Betting Lines

12/20/2006 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - This is going to be brief.

It has to be.

Dwelling too long on a single loss in the middle of the playoff race could lead to another one. Cincinnati can not afford another one.

A trip to Mile High to face the Denver Broncos (8-6) is next on the schedule. Cincinnati has lost seven straight in Denver dating back to 1975. The regular season ends against the hated Pittsburgh Steelers (7-7), the team that knocked it from the playoffs last season.

It doesn't get any easier, especially in the wide-open AFC, where seven teams are still fighting for two spots. The Bengals end the campaign with two of those teams.

"You can't expect to beat Peyton Manning and that team kicking field goals. You have to score points," said quarterback Carson Palmer.

The Bengals just didn't score enough. Indianapolis lived up to its hype during a game billed as a clash of two dynamic offensives. In turn, the Bengals laid the ball on ground - Palmer fumbled four times though he lost just one, and Chad Johnson had as many catches (3) as drops (3).

The result was a 34-16 thrashing that vaulted the Colts back toward the top of the conference and left the Bengals in a murky Wild Card mess.

"It won't be easy, but we will," answered running back Rudi Johnson when asked if the Bengals would get into the playoffs.

The biggest concern may be the health of All-Pro tackle Willie Anderson, especially considering the rest of the offensive line's status. Anderson was lost in the first half with a foot injury and did not return.

The Bengals will need him next Sunday, as it has no margin for error.

And no more thoughts of a game that got out of hand.

"Put it behind us as quick as it came. As quick as it came," said Rudi Johnson.

PALMER'S POOR NIGHT

Whether you like him or not, Palmer always stands next to his locker and takes the heat.

Anyone can glow in the spotlight of a four-touchdown performance, but it takes a model NFL player to answer questions with the same conviction following a stat line that showed not a single touchdown and just 176 yards passing.

"Offensively, we didn't do enough; I played terrible," Palmer said. "I missed some throws, I didn't hit some balls my teammates and coaches expect me to hit and I should hit."

He also held on to the ball too long, as evidenced by the four sacks and four fumbles. Three of each came courtesy of speed demon off the edge Dwight Freeney.

Freeney's constant visits to the backfield proved to be an omen that on this night, Indianapolis was the more physical team.

"Coming in, we felt like we were really the more physical team," Palmer said.

"They were just more physical than we were. They didn't come out of Cover Two the whole game. I can't think of one time when they were in (man), and we just didn't take advantage of it in the run game. We didn't stay on the field long enough to let our defense rest."

And as soon as one quote ended, Palmer always turned the blame to himself. He said so in every which way, pinpointing several poor throws during the game.

"I didn't put the ball right on the money. I didn't put it in a place that made it easy for the receiver to catch it. I was behind a couple of guys couple of times," said Palmer. "To T.J. (Houshmandzadeh) on the touchdown (which turned into a pass defended) and Chad on third down. Like I said, I'm expected to make those throws and I expect that of myself."

ONE WEEK TO THE NEXT

Indianapolis' run defense is bad. So bad that the Jacksonville Jaguars rushed for 375 yards last Sunday.

But facing a beat-up offensive line, the Colts defense held Rudi Johnson to only 79 yards on 21 carries. The Bengals ran for 133 yards on 30 carries, which computes to a successful but not damaging 4.4 yards a carry.

"It's tough not having any (starters) on the frontline," Rudi Johnson said. "Not having (Anderson) hurts, especially against guys who are good getting off the ball in their own place."

In fact, the play of the game came on a 3rd-and-1 from the Indianapolis 12- yard line during the early stages of the third quarter.

Johnson took the ball and looked for running room to the right. There wasn't any.

"We always run right," Johnson said. "I guess they thought we were going to right. They made a great call. They blitzed the linebacker into the gap and they made a play."

Cato June flew through the line to make the hit on Johnson, forcing a short Shayne Graham field goal. Instead of squaring the contest at 17-17, the Bengals settled for three, and never got that close again.

CONTROLLING DESTINY

In just 72 hours, Cincinnati will depart for Denver for a Christmas Eve showdown that will define its season.

"We have to put this loss behind us. We've had success. It's not like we lost six or seven games in a row," Anderson said. "We're still in the thick of the playoff hunt. Now is the time not to pull apart, which I don't think we are at that moment any more."

Head coach Marvin Lewis made it clear what he expects from his team over the last two weeks. The mindset is simple.

"Control your own destiny."

"Even though we lost this one, that doesn't change how we're thinking," linebacker Brian Simmons said. "We were already thinking we have to win the last two."