After blowing chance to Colts, Bengals in pivotal fray Sunday

Cincinnati is tied with three other teams in the AFC wild-card race.
CINCINNATI (AP) -- One bad night in Indianapolis crushed the Cincinnati Bengals' late-season momentum and left them with no margin for error if they want to make the playoffs.
They know they can't lose again when they go to Denver.
Given a chance to take control of the AFC wild card race, the Bengals played their worst game in more than a month. A 34-16 loss to the Colts on Monday night left Cincinnati tied with three other teams at 8-6. Only two of them will get wild card berths.
Could decide season
Their game Sunday at Denver (8-6) could decide their season. The Bengals and Broncos have the best conference records among the four wild card contenders, a main tiebreaker.
A loss could drop them behind Jacksonville or the Jets, the other wild card contenders that are currently 8-6.
"We've got another one coming up quick," linebacker Brian Simmons said. "We've got to take the good with the bad from this one, learn from it and go to Denver.
"We still control our destiny. What more can we ask for? If we don't win next week, we know what it is. If we win, then we've got another week to stay alive."
Had great chance
They could have put themselves on the doorstep of the playoffs by beating the Colts, who had lost three of their last four games and were allowing teams to run for nearly 176 yards per game.
Instead, their offense suffered another significant injury -- Pro Bowl right tackle Willie Anderson hurt his foot -- and the defense's stretch of three straight impressive showings ended with an unsettling performance.
"Something we've got to do is get it out of our system," right guard Bobbie Williams said. "The good thing about it is our destiny is still in our hands."
Heading into their game on Monday night, the Bengals were one of the NFL's hottest teams. Quarterback Carson Palmer was finally back in form after reconstructive knee surgery, and the defense had allowed only 17 points in the last three games, a franchise first.
Palmer had his first subpar game in more than a month, going 14-of-28 for 176 yards with four sacks. His passer rating of 69.9 was his second-lowest of the season. In the first half, Palmer was only 3-of-8 for 33 yards with a pair of sacks and a fumble.
"I didn't play good at all," Palmer said. "I played terrible."
Anderson was injured
The offensive line had another major setback when Anderson, a four-time Pro Bowl right tackle, hurt his right foot during the second quarter and didn't return. Left tackle Levi Jones and center Rich Braham have missed the second half of the season with knee injuries.
Coach Marvin Lewis wasn't available to the news media Tuesday to provide a condition update on Anderson, who has started 110 consecutive games.
"I know he was going to (try to) tough it out and play," Jones said. "He wanted to do it for the team. I think it ended up bothering him so bad, he was not capable of doing what he does. It's a tough thing, but we will get him back soon."
After Anderson left, the line featured rookie Andrew Whitworth at left tackle and third-year backup Stacy Andrews at right tackle. Defensive ends Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis took advantage, putting a lot of pressure on Palmer.
"In a situation like this where you have to throw every down, it's going to be a heck of a challenge," Jones said.
The defense also came apart. The Bengals took the long pass away from Peyton Manning, who adjusted by finding open receivers for short gains that added up to scoring drives. Manning was 18-of-20 in the first half for 148 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Overall, Manning went 29-of-36 for 282 yards with four touchdowns and a passer rating of 136.3. He didn't complete a throw longer than 22 yards.
"He's good enough, their offense is good enough, that they are going to burn you with every mistake you make," defensive lineman Sam Adams said.