Bengals looking ahead to 2012

Associated Press

CINCINNATI

Many of the Bengals packed and left town on Monday thinking they’d taken a big first step toward becoming a perennial playoff team.

Cincinnati has been in this spot before, and it hasn’t turned out that way.

The Bengals (9-8) had a breakthrough this season, earning only their third winning record and playoff appearance in the last 21 years. They lost in Houston 31-10 on Saturday, another reminder they’ve got a long way to go before they can join the NFL’s elite.

At least they seem to be headed the right way.

“We’re closing a chapter,” coach Marvin Lewis said on Monday. “The book’s still being written. We’ve got things to do, but with a group of guys that I think just scratched the surface a little bit this year and they realize that. They’re not beating their chests.”

Despite having one of the NFL’s least-experienced rosters and rookies at quarterback and receiver, the Bengals won the final AFC wild card by taking advantage of a favorable schedule and competitors’ meltdowns.

Their nine wins included only one against a team that finished the season with a winning record. They played eight games against teams that also reached the playoffs, and lost all eight.

The next challenge is to make the playoffs for a second straight season, something they’ve done only once during their 44-year history — in 1981-82 under coach Forrest Gregg. That’s also the last time they’ve had back-to-back winning records, a sign of just how bad they’ve been.

There are hopeful signs at important positions.

Receiver A.J. Green and quarterback Andy Dalton, their top two draft picks, had Pro Bowl-caliber seasons as rookies, and the defense is built around a core of young players beginning to emerge. There are a lot of problems to fix, but some emerging stars to build around.

They just have to get it right.

“The future is bright around here,” safety Chris Crocker said. “It’s tough to look forward when you lose in the playoffs. It’s very tough to lose a game and be optimistic, but all you can do now is move forward.”