The Bengals’ playoff chances took a mafia-style whacking yesterday 20-19 at the hands of a rookie. A rookie quarterback, to be precise. A low-round draft pick rookie QB. Starting just his second game. Who drove 80 yards for the game-winning TD. At Paul Brown Stadium.

The faltering Bengals left the field, heads slumped. The resourceful Houston Texans left the field with arms raised in celebration after rookie T.J. Yates threw a 6-yard touchdown pass with 2 seconds left for a 20-19 victory Sunday that very likely could have scuttled Cincinnati’s chances of postseason play.

The young, upstart 2011 Cincinnati Bengals looked old Sunday. As in The Old Bengals. 

After clawing their way into playoff contention, the ill-prepared Bengals collapsed yesterday under the weight of the moment, regressing back to the mistakes of the 90’s. Yup, The Old Bengals reared its ugly head yesterday, as they committed 10 penalties for 109 yards and offered little resistance when the Pittsburgh Steelers erupted with their best 15 minutes of football this season en route to a 35-7 win at Heinz Field.

Just last month, after falling behind 14-0, the Bengals surged back to play the Steelers tit-for-tat at home before finally being edged out 24-17. This time around, the win came much, much easier for Pittsburgh as they put a huge cloud over the Bengals’ playoff hopes.

With the win, the Steelers (9-3) sweep the season series from Cincinnati (7-5) for the second straight year. It all happened because of a 28-point explosion in the second quarter fueled by QB Ben Roethlisberger, RB Rashard Mendenhall and a 60-yard punt return for a score by WR-PR Antonio Brown.

Cincinnati’s miscues started early. The Bengals drove down the field on their opening possession, but a 4-yard touchdown pass from Dalton to Jermaine Gresham was wiped out by another costly pre-snap penalty (false start on A.J. Green). The Bengals settled for a Mike Nugent field goal only to have it called back after being flagged for delay of game. Nugent’s kick never had a shot the second time around as rookie Cam Heyward swatted it away. That’s about as close as the Bengals would get to making it interesting.

Cincinnati’s rookie quarterback Andy Dalton threw for 124 yards and a touchdown to Green, but the Bengals couldn’t overcome two turnovers and a handful of special team gaffes to all but end their hopes of winning the AFC North. The Bengals continued to self-destruct on the ensuing kickoff. Pittsburgh’s Stevenson Sylvester stripped Brandon Tate and the Steelers recovered at the Cincinnati 23. Roethlisberger needed just three plays to hit Wallace for a 12-yard score to make it 21-0.

Dalton found Green for an 11-yard score to briefly give the Bengals life, but Brown extinguished any momentum with a scintillating punt return just before the half that gave the Steelers a 28-7 lead at the break.

The Bengals came in with an NFL-record three double-digit second half rallies, but not this time. Playing with a lead Pittsburgh’s defense teed off on Dalton, who was removed from the game in the fourth quarter as a protective measure by Bengals’ head coach Marvin Lewis with the Bengals hopelessly behind.

Roethlisberger, who aggravated the injury in practice during the week, overcame a slow start to complete 15 of 23 passes for 176 yards and the two scores to Wallace. His final completion, a 9-yard toss to tight end David Johnson in the fourth quarter, was the 2,026th of his career, one more than Hall of Famer Terry Bradshaw’s club record.

With the loss, Cincinnati is mostly likely in a forced-to-run-the-table situation. First up  is the division-leading Houston Texans at home.  

With the way the AFC playoff picture is shaking out, especially with the Carson Palmer-led Raiders losing yesterday to Miami, a 9-7 record might (MIGHT) get  you in. But don’t count on it. If Cincinnati runs the table against Houston, St. Louis, Cardinals and Ravens, it’s a pretty safe bet they’re in. But lose this Sunday and it get real hard. Win Sunday and it stays interesting.  

Bengals linebacker Keith Rivers will miss the rest of the season because he hasn’t fully recovered from surgery on his right wrist, according to the Associated Press. The former first-round draft pick had surgery last July and started the season on an injury list. The Bengals got a three-week roster exemption that allowed him to work out with the team. The exemption ended on Tuesday, and Cincinnati decided to leave him on the injury list, ruling out a return this season.

Rivers was the ninth overall pick in 2008. He broke his jaw on a hit by Steelers receiver Hines Ward during the seventh game of his rookie season and didn’t return. He missed three games in 2009 with a calf injury. He played in 15 games last season despite a foot injury.

 The national sports media, while still not paying much attention to the playoff-contending Cincinnati Bengals, are finally acknowledging the team’s existence. Now, at least, words like “NFL’s worst” and “sure-fire 0-16″ are replaced with “tough-minded” and “up and coming.” It still makes me wonder how nary one expert could predict the Bengals as a possible “team to watch.” A 7-4 team – no. But c’mon dudes, from the dozens and dozens and dozens of you highly paid experts, how can not a one predict Cincinnati as at least a surprise 8-8? No one?  

Ooops, spill’t the soup:

Cleveland wrap up. Is it just me, or did Bengals running back Cedric Benson run harder, longer and faster Sunday against the Cleveland Browns? I commented more than once during the game to my blow-up doll girlfriend, Louise, that it was like the good old ’08 and ’09 Benson. As an ardent critic of Benson lately, I was hearted by his improved speed and balance. But I still want to see more of Bernard Scott.    

 The Geen Ladder versus Joe Haden.  NFL, please stop with the TV commercials that feature players from different teams. Why? Because that’s how they become friends. Remember former Browns’ DB Thom Darden’s hit on Bengals’ WR-P Pat McInally, and the Steelers’ L.C. Greenwood nearly tearing off the head of former Bengals’ QB Ken Anderson? I love it when teams and players hate each other, which is sadly rare in today’s P.C. NFL. Hopefully, though, the boiling competition between A.J. Green and Cleveland’s damn-good DB Joe Haden will eventually blossom into full-blown hate and loathing, as it should be. We need a reason to again hate the Browns.

Dominating at the end. Got this from Bengals.com – impressive. Damn impressive. ”Before this season in the 130 games under Lewis, the Bengals had erased fourth-quarter deficits to post wins 14 times. After Sunday’s fifth fourth-quarter comeback of the season against the Browns at Paul Brown Stadium, the 2011 Bengals have nearly halved it with five games to play. With 103 fourth-quarter points, the Bengals have already scored as many or more points in the final 15 minutes than in six of Lewis’ previous eight seasons and they are just 16 points from topping the high of 116 set last season and in 2006.”

Unleash Jermaine Gresham. Please. Hey, I don’t want Marvin Lewis and Jay Gruden blogging about decisions I make at my job as a strip club bouncer, so forgive me men – but when are we going to unleash the Bengals’ third-most potent offensive weapon (1., A.J. Green, 2., Andy Dalton, 3., Gresham)? I fully understand that a lot of the Bengals’ offensive is predicated on what defenses give us. Well, I say start giving defenses heavy doses of Gresham, who’s as talented as Hall of Fame TE Kellen Winslow. When drafted, I called Gresham the most important Bengals’ acquisition since Palmer was taken No. 1 in ’03. Gresham can be the NFL’s best TE. Let’s let him show it, okay? 

Was Superman ever 3-8? No, never. Hey, I understand endzone dancing is look at me-me-me show-off Ocho time, and a lot of players do it. Some people like it. Some don’t. I don’t. Via my grossly overpriced NFL Ticket, I see a lot of Cam Newton, and Panther losing. A lot of losing. But each week Cam keeps smiling, and doing his “revealing ‘S’ Superman” thing after scoring. At 3-8, and considered one of the worst teams in the NFL, what’s to smile at - unless the me-me-me show-off Ocho time is as (or more) rewarding to a player than winning. Just saying. Image what Dick Butkus would do to his QB for celebrating and smiling if the 1965 Bears were 3-8.       

Next Up. Pittsburgh. Nuff said. Hey, Bengals coaches … gotta watch that Steelers-Chiefs game video tape like a Girls Gone Wild dvd in a darkened college dorm. The Steelers’ offense produced a season-low 290 yards, including Mike Wallace’s measley two receptions for 17 yards. While the Pittsburgh D set up the offense with good field position several times, Roethlisberger & Co. kept failing to capitalize. Steelers convert just one of three trips inside the Kansas City 20-yard line into a touchdown. Bengals, there’s the blueprint.

Carson Palmer. Have you seen Palmer’s play in Oakland? Thanks to my afore-mentioned grossly overpriced NFL Ticket, I have. Pretty damned impressive, too – almost 2005-like. Looks more and more like this trade gets the Raiders to the postseason for the first time since 2002. Palmer was the difference in Sunday’s 25-20 victory over Chicago, and without significant players like running back Darren McFadden and receivers-kick returners Jacoby Ford and Denarius Moore. The ex-Bengal threw for 301-yards, putting the Raiders in position for six field goals and one touchdown. That’s what Palmer gives the Raiders – a quarterback who can still make all the throws, and carry an offense when he has to. Hmmmmm, smell a Bengals vs. Raiders playoff game in the air? How sweet would that be?

 A Six-Game Season. NFL Playoff watch. I’ve always said the NFL season starts after Week 10, because it’s all about the last six games – crunch time. After Week 10 the Bengals are 1-1 and smack-dab in the middle of the playoff race. On Sunday, the New England Patriots, Houston Texans and Pittsburgh Steelers won to improve to 8-3 and force a four-way tie atop the conference with the Ravens (technically, the Ravens are the No. 3 seed right now behind the Texans and Patriots because conference record is the tie-breaker). The Texans are 7-2 in the AFC and the Patriots are 6-2. The Ravens are 5-2 (plus they own a head-to-head win over the Texans). At 7-4, the Bengals right now own the 6-seed playoff spot, while three AFC teams are at 6-5, including the Tim Tebow-led Denver Broncos who beat San Diego. The Tennessee Titans defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and the New York Jets kept hope alive with a win over the Bills, who have now lost four straight games.

TheTimzilla@gmail.com.

Question: How many lightbulbs can A.J. Green change without a ladder? Answer: All of them – because he IS the ladder. The Green Ladder.

Bengals rookie WR - The Green Ladder.

Look, we leaned three important facts yesterday. One, smoking-hot Faith Hill looks better and better each week on that Sunday Night Football intro. Damn. Two, the Cincinnati Bengals, who can play tit-for-tat with the NFL’s best teams (see Pittsburgh and Baltimore games), unfortunately do the same with NFL middle-of-the-roaders, too, like Cleveland. Three, A.J. Green is simply a stud. Damn.

Green’s week-one catch to beat the Browns was routine. His ladder-climbing catch yesterday was anything but, as the Bengals rookie WR Green skied to haul in an Andy Dalton pass across the middle of the field. Green caught the ball at the 30-yard line and was run out of bounds at the 2. The Bengals (7-4) settled for Mike Nugent’s 26-yard game-winning a field and another come-from-behind win, 23-20.

After trailing the entire game, the Bengals erased 17-7 and 20-10 deficits to beat their intra-state rivals to go 7-4 on the season. The victory marks the third time this season the Bengals won after trailing by 10 or more points at the intermission, tying the NFL’s single-season record that was set by the Chiefs in 1980 and matched by four teams since then (including the Lions this season).

The Browns blitzed on third-and-8, and Dalton threw it down the middle just before he got hit. Green adjusted, leaped high above cornerback Joe Haden for the catch at the 30-yard line, then kept going until he was pushed out at the 2.

The Green Ladder skies for game-winning grab over helpless Cleveland defense.

 The Green Ladder’s game-turning play gave him 110 yards against the Browns, who along with the Steelers had been the only teams in the NFL that hadn’t allowed a 100-yard receiving game. For the second time in three games, a botched snap cost Cleveland an opportunity to take a late lead. Phil Dawson was well short on a 55-yard try with 1:51 left after the snap skipped along the ground.

Dawson had already connected from 32 and 54 yards, his longest field goal of the season. On this one, he never had a chance. Only weeks earlier, the Browns had the same thing happen. A bad snap caused Dawson to miss a 22-yard kick with 2:13 left, allowing St. Louis to close out a 13-12 win in Cleveland.

Down 20-10 late in the third quarter, Dalton helped the Bengals get a win that kept them in the thick of the playoff chase. He was 21 of 31 for 270 yards and his 16th touchdown pass of the season, topping Greg Cook for the Bengals rookie record. Cedric Benson carried 21 times for 106 yards, his second 100-yard game against the Browns.

McCoy was 16 of 34 for 151 yards with a pair of touchdowns. His fourth-down pass was knocked away at midfield with 10 seconds to go, sealing Cincinnati’s win.

The win keeps the Bengals in the thick of playoff contention as they prepare to travel to Pittsburgh next week.

Unlike last week, this is a Big One. Not THE Big One, but a big one. The winner gets a share of first place in the AFC North, a prime position for a playoff spot … and some stretch-run swagger.

Remember, last week we called the Pittsburgh game a non must-win game -just a must-be-competitive game. Last week was all about avoiding being blown out, being blown up, being blown to shreds - or blowing, period. But this Baltimore game is different. While it too is not an absolute must-win – it’s a very, very big need-to-win game.

Sure, the mercurial Ravens (6-3) have logged some impressive wins, including the eye-popping season sweep over first-place Pittsburgh. Baffling, though, are Ravens losses to the Girl Scouts of America and Little Sisters of the Poor – dropping games to Tennessee following the first Pittsburgh win, Jacksonville, and last week’s 22-17 sleeper at Seattle (yes, all Baltimore losses have all come against teams Cincinnati beat).

Make no mistake, the Cincinnati Bengals (6-3) are no longer the Little Sisters of the Poor. Last week’s game against the Steelers (the top-ranked AFC team) proved it.

After spotting Pittsburgh 14 points in the first ten minutes, and surrendering its best offensive weapon, A.J. Green, and top defensive back, Leon Hall, Cincinnati played the Steelers nose-to-nose, tit-for-tat, while having a chance at a game-tying TD in the game’s last two minutes.

But, after Cincinnati rallied back to tie the score at 17, rookie QB Andy Dalton tossed a pair of fourth-quarter interceptions in the 24-17 loss (his 14 TDs through nine games are the most for a rookie since the AFL-NFL merger).

Despite hanging with 7-3 Pittsburgh, the Bengals came out of the game with more than just a key division loss. Green said Wednesday his injury will make him a game-time decision against the Ravens, while star cornerback Leon Hall is done for the season after tearing his Achilles’ tendon.

The Bengals now look to CBs Nate Clements, Kelly Jennings, second-year corner Brandon Ghee and Pacman Jones, who hopes to return this week after missing two games with a hamstring injury. But with Hall out, QB Joe Flacco and the Ravens offense figure to take even more chances through the air – particularly considering Cincinnati has the NFL’s second-best run defense at 86.8 yards per game.

While the Bengals already-suspect pass defense in wounded, Flacco’s passing history against Cincinnati isn’t pretty with just two touchdown passes and nine interceptions while being sacked 11 times and posting a 48.2 passer rating in his past four games – three losses. He threw a career-high 52 times in Seattle, though much of that total stemmed from the Ravens playing from behind the entire game (Note: the Ravens defense has allowed 8.2 yards per pass attempt the past three weeks after surrendering 4.7 during the previous three games).

The Ravens have won six straight and 14 of 15 at home, including a 13-7 win over the Bengals on Jan. 2 in which they forced five turnovers. But Baltimore has averaged three turnovers over in its last eight games versus Cincinnati, and we see that happening again Sunday. Look for Dalton to have one of his best games and Bernard Scott to logged his most carries and yards. The Bengals hold Baltimore to under 100 yards rushing.  

Oddbounces Prediction: Bengals, 27-20*

* If Green plays. Otherwise, Baltimore 20-13.

Bengals rookie WR A.J. Green injures knee making TD catch.

Even though cornerback Leon Hall is out for the rest of the season, Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis did assuage the fears of most fans with the news that rookie wide receiver A.J, Green “should be fine” for Sunday’s game at Baltimore. Green hyperextended his right knee during the first quarter of last week’s game against Pittsburgh when he came down with a 36-yard touchdown catch from Andy Dalton while battling Steelers safeties Ryan Clark and Troy Polamalu in the end zone.

Green did try playing during the second quarter but said he felt the knee stiffen up on him at halftime and did not play in the second half.

During the second week of training camp, Green hyperextended his knee and was out for a couple days. He did play though in the second preseason game against the Jets. In the Bengals two home losses, Dalton has thrown a pair of fourth-quarter interceptions. The common thread in both games is that Green was injured. In the Week 3 loss to San Francisco, Green suffered a foot injury in practice and was held to four catches and a season-low 29 yards.

The other concern is that other than Green, there hasn’t been a second receiver that has consistently stepped up. Jerome Simpson has two 100-yard games but is averaging three receptions a game. Andre Caldwell has also struggled, averaging 7.6 yards per reception.

UPDATE: Bengals.com reports Green didn’t practice today and isn’t expected to play Sunday.

Cincinnati Bengals DB Adam “Pacman” Jones won’t face jail time in Nevada based on his conduct in a Cincinnati bar scuffle last summer. Instead, the 28-year-old Cincinnati Bengals cornerback will be expected to perform 75 more hours of community service on top of the 200 hours he was ordered to perform following his no contest plea in a 2007 Las Vegas strip club melee that left three people wounded.

Jones was already under a judge’s order to stay out of trouble as part of his February sentencing in Las Vegas. He now faces trial in Ohio on misdemeanor disorderly conduct and resisting arrest charges.

In a galaxy far, far away, a wise and visibly angry man once pounded a podium, while uttering, “They are who we thought they were!”  For the record, he was not referring to Milli Vanilli or the 2011 Cincinnati Bengals.

Why? Because the team’s rushing stats (21st) rank just barely two spots higher than the team’s passing stats (23rd). So, with all that sophisticated game planning meant to feature the ground attack (while hiding a rookie QB), the running game with Cedric Benson is still a bottom-feeder.

So what has all that running accomplished? Mostly put Dalton and the offense in repeated third-and-long situations – just the opposite of what it’s meant to do. I mean, do good grounder-pounders typically have 20 other teams better at running the ball? Nope.

With Cincinnati smack-dab in the middle of a serious playoff run, it’s time Bengals coaches re-evaluate the team’s strenghths and weakness, because make no mistake, Dalton is no longer a weakness, if ever he was. And he’s no longer a rookie – that lasted about a drive or two in game one at Cleveland. After nine games, it’s clear Dalton is not a rookie to be coddled and hidden away behind a power running game that frankly doesn’t exist.

Dalton is probably the team’s best offensive player, so let’s use him.  

The Red Rifle’s 14 touchdown passes through the first nine games leads all rookie quarterbacks this season and, according to Stats, Inc., are the most by any rookie quarterback through his team’s first nine games since the 1970 NFL/AFL merger. No, he doesn’t have Cam Newton’s playing-from-behind, throw-the-ball-on-every-down, inflated numbers or raw athletic ability. Dalton just has the Bengals near the the top of the AFC.

“The most prepared (for the) NFL quarterback that I’d studied,” is how former QB and current ESPN football anayst Trent Dilfer describes Dalton. “He was my favorite.” Dilfer also says Dalton’s natural talent and the offense he ran at Texas Christian prepared him for the big time.

So let’s use him big time.

Look, Dalton is the first rookie quarterback to win six of his first eight starts in the Super Bowl era, and deserves the NFL Rookie of the Year. His closest competitor – Newton, whose Panthers are 2-7, while Dalton’s Bengals sit 6-3. Dalton has completed 61.5 percent of his passes (which is better than Newton’s 60.6), thrown 14 touchdowns and nine interceptions (Newton: 11 TDs and ten picks).

There are four statistics that matter for measuring quarterbacks: completion percentage, passing yards, touchdowns and interceptions. Cam Newton is ahead of Dalton in passing yards. That is it. Dalton has a higher completion percentage, more passing touchdowns and fewer interceptions. Clearly anyone looking at this rationally will see that the quarterback with the superior numbers in every category except one is the better choice when handing out the award.

Weird thing is, Dalton might not even be having the best rookie season for the Bengals. You can make the argument A.J. Green should be the Offensive Rookie of the Year, instead. Green is on pace for 73 receptions, 1,129 yards and 10 or 11 touchdowns. Even the weak-minded can see those numbers are spectacular.

With Dalton and Green as emerging weapons, and an OL that’s given up just 13 sacks (ranked 5th), I’m saying rejigger the run-pass formula – now. Granted, WRs Jerome Simpson and Andre Caldwell aren’t world beaters, but Baby Hawk and the still-grossly under-utilized Jermaine Gresham and Bernard Scott give the offense the potential to help push this playoff run deep into the season.

Nope. Dalton and Green aren’t who we thought they were. They’re better. Let’s use them.

Unleash the Krakin.