Another defeat sends Bengals to the brink

Associated Press

CINCINNATI

Two orange end-zone pylons stood on the floor in front of Chad Ochocinco’s locker. Carson Palmer walked past stiffly, headed for a session in the weight room.

The flat-screen monitors that provide workout and meeting times around the Cincinnati Bengals’ locker room flashed the theme of the week: “Get Your Shovel Out.”

The Monday message is one of coach Marvin Lewis’ favorite ploys, a reminder that playing football is like moving a pile of dirt. The idea is to keep looking down and keep shoveling.

In this case, the Bengals (2-3) may have dug themselves too deep already.

Two minutes of mind-boggling mistakes and second-guess decisions set up a 24-21 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, one that may have thrown some shovels of dirt on Cincinnati’s season.

The defending AFC North champions already trail Baltimore (4-1) by two games and Pittsburgh (3-1) as well. The Bengals are only one game ahead of lowly Cleveland (1-4), which beat them two weeks ago.

“We’re in desperation mode,” safety Chris Crocker said.

The implosion on Sunday suggested that the defending champs aren’t nearly as good as they think, from the top on down. And they’re only a few losses away from one of those too-familiar seasons in Cincinnati, the ones that are over halfway through the schedule.

“Yes, it’s stunning,” Crocker said. “As I look at it right now, we’ll have to win out. It’s as simple as that.”

Sunday the Bengals melted down in a way reminiscent of their futile years before Lewis arrived. Palmer threw two interceptions in the last three minutes.

Tampa Bay managed to take the game to the closing minutes because the Bengals repeatedly dropped passes and had penalties that short-circuited drives — a problem all season that’s not getting any better.