The Cincinnati Bengals’ playoff aspirations quickly came to an end as they defeated handedly by the New York Jets, 24-14, on Saturday at Paul Brown Stadium.

THE GOOD
Cedric Benson – Benson was the only reliable source of offense most of the season for the Bengals, and Saturday was no different. He set the franchise’s single-game playoff record with 169 yards on the ground, including a 47-yard TD run. It marked his 10th 100-yard game of the season, but it was the first time he’s hit the century club and the team loss.

Demato Peko – It was nice to have Peko back. He IS the heart-and-soul of the defense. For most of the game he was leading the charge up front and very active for the Bengals’ defense. The final stat line (1 tackle, three assists) doesn’t show much in regards to what his presence actually meant.

The Fans – The Bengals soldout their 53rd straight home game and the 60,000-plus fans that braved the near zero degree wind chill to root on their team definitely deserve some props. At times in the game they did make a difference too. However, the team’s lousy play down the stretch took them out of the game.

THE BAD
Carson Palmer – The former Pro Bowl quarterback continued his struggles. Jets’ coach Rex Ryan knew how to rattle him from his days as Baltimore’s defense coordinator, but even when there was little to no pressure Palmer looked terrible. For the Bengals’ sake, let’s hope Palmer is more injured than we realized. Otherwise it may be time for the team to start considering new options at quarterback. The veteran was outplayed by rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez and has been terrible down the team’s dismal stretch run.

Bob Bratkowski – I am getting tired of beating a dead horse. Still, Bratkowski once again shows up here. The team’s play calling is not up to speed with the rest of the NFL elite and the team is risking a serious fan revolt if Brat is back for another season. It’s time for a fresh start.

Challenges – Who is responsible for the Bengals decision to challenge the two plays in the first quarter? Even from my seat way up in the 300’s of Paul Brown Stadium I could see that Laveranues Coles fumbled that ball. Had the team actually stayed in the game for four quarters, the challenges (or lack of challenges remaining) would have likely come back to haunt them.

Jonathan Joseph and Leon Hall – Joseph and Hall were terrible. They both can officially stop complaining about their Pro Bowl snubs. They were beaten all day long by Sanchez, who completed 12-of-15 passes. Granted the Bengals were stacking the box, but that is because Mike Zimmer thought his highly-touted corners could actually win 1-on-1 battles with Jerricho Cotchery and Braylon Edwards. They proved they could not.

Season’s stretch run – It was nice to see the Bengals get out to a fast start and going 6-0 in the division. Honestly, I wasn’t expecting that much when the season began. However, how terribly disappointing to see how they responded once in the driver’s seat. They dropped four of their last five games to finish the season and finished just 4-7 against teams outside of it. In their final 9 games (4-5) they only beat one team with a winning record.

THE UGLY
Shayne Graham – Has there ever a player that was tagged as a franchise player that was out of the league the following season? That’s what Shayne Graham is facing. He blew the game for the Bengals by shanking two second-half field goals from 35 and 28 yards out. In his limited “big game” opportunities in Cincy, Graham has consistently failed to deliver.  He can barely get his kickoffs to the end zone and can even be brought on to attempt a kick over 48 yards. Adios Shayne, your career as a Bengal is over and there may not be another team willing to give you a chance.

QUOTE TO NOTE
“There isn’t anything you can say about that. When you miss the field goal, you miss the field goal. It is a shame, and it killed us. Unfortunately, in this case, it is mostly a one-man operation, and that is the sad part of it. Shayne feels worse about it than anybody. Those points obviously make a big difference.” – head coach Marvin Lewis on Graham’s missed field goals

NFL nfl playoffs, cincinnati bengals, new york jets, cedric benson, carson palmer, shayne graham