After a fourth-quarter rally by the Houston Texans to defeat the New England Patriots 34-27, the Cincinnati Bengals failed to take advantage of claiming the No. 3 seed in the AFC after a 37-0 loss to the New York Jets. With the win, New York clinched the No. 5 seed in the AFC and will travel to Cincinnati to take on the No. 4 Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium next Saturday at 4:30 p.m.
The loss dropped the Bengals to 10-6 on the regular season as they get set to host their first playoff game at home in four years. Here are five factors regarding Cincinnati's loss to New York.
First half domination by the Jets
After the first half of play, it was safe to say the Jets had complete control over the Bengals considering their 27-0 lead. While New York found the end zone three times and successfully kicked two field goals, Cincinnati was held to just seven yards of total offense.
For most of the season, Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer has struggled to find consistency in the passing game and the matchup against the Jets was nothing different. He finished the first half just 1-of-11--his only completion to wide receiver Laveranues Coles for no gain. However, it would be unfair to place all the blame on him considering how many times his receiving core dropped passes that should have been caught.
The Bengals struggle in not only the passing, but running game
The Bengals have built a reputation this season as a team with an ineffective passing game. Without the success of a strong ground attack led by running back Cedric Benson, Cincinnati would not be hosting the New York Jets in the opening round of the playoffs next weekend.
Palmer was replaced by backup quarterback J.T. O'Sullivan in the second half, who also struggled against the Jets' defense. He finished just 3-of-8 for 31 yards while losing two fumbles in the process.
As for the running game, head coach Marvin Lewis made the wise decision to rest Benson for next weekend and give rookie running back Bernard Scott the start. Unfortunately, he struggled against the league's No. 1 rushing defense, finishing with just 20 yards on six carries (one of his runs went for 22 yards—do the math).
The absense of Rey Maualuga on defense shows against Jets
Before their loss to the Jets, the Bengals owned the second best rushing defense in the NFL, allowing just 87.7 yards per game. In their first game without Maualuga, the defense struggled to contain the Jets' offense—especially when it came to stopping the run.
The impact of Maualuga's presence was obvious against the Jets as they relied on their running game to carry the way, just as they have all season. Overall, New York finished with 257 yards on the ground, with wide receiver Brad Smith leading the way. He finished with 97 yards on just four carries, including a 57-yard scramble after lining up in the wildcat formation.
On the season, the Jets led all teams by averaging 166.6 yards per game on the ground. With rookie running back Shonn Green filling in the void left by Leon Washington as a backup to Thomas Jones, Cincinnati will need to figure out how to stop the rushing attack next week and force quarterback Mark Sanchez to throw more.
Otherwise, the Bengals may be on their way to an early exit after an unforgettable season.
Chad Ochocinco loses his battle against Darrelle Revis
Throughout the week, Chad Ochocinco has been up to his usual trash-talking antics. His latest victim: Jets Pro Bowl cornerback Darrelle Revis.
In the one half Ochocinco played, Revis clearly won the battle this week as he shut down another star receiver while making a statement as one of the best cornerbacks in football. Not only did he hold Ochocinco out of the end zone for the first time in five weeks, but it was the first time in 124 games he failed to record a reception.
Before the game, Ochocinco tweaked his knee after slipping during warm ups and is expected to have an MRI this week. Despite the tweak, he is expected to be just fine for next weekend's rematch against the Jets.
When it comes to ball control, the Jets win—by a long shot
After the first quarter, the Bengals only drive lasted a total of 1:06. The second drive for the Jets consisted of 21 plays that lasted 11:11. Throughout the game, this was a continuing factor for New York when it came to controlling the ball.
The Jets used their powerful running game to control the clock as they dominated the time of possession 41:14 to the Bengals' 18:46, which means they held the ball for a little over 68 percent of the game. Cincinnati struggled to keep most of their drives consistent as they saw just five first downs throughout the game compared to 21 by New York.
With Benson and the rest of the starters back next week, the Bengals' offense should display a better performance against the Jets—even if they do have the top overall defense in the league.
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