Who takes the blame in Cincinnati?

They fooled us once again. After last year's playoff loss in Houston I wasn't that disappointed, I was more encouraged. Andy and A.J. were just rookies and to lead their team to the playoffs was a feat in itself. Never did I think though that they would be in the exact same situation this year, and have the same exact outcome. A loss to the Texans. This time I'm not encouraged, because to be honest a lot of this loss can be pinned on Andy and A.J. They aren't alone in the blame though, they have Jay Gruden and Marvin Lewis right there with them facing the firing squad.

Lets face it, Andy Dalton played like complete crap for the last five weeks, and we saw the same thing on Saturday. He has no doubt gone through a sophomore slump and may have even regressed a little since his rookie season. He has struggled on the deep ball whether its overthrowing Green wide open in the end zone in Houston, or the countless other times this year. We just haven't seen the consistency on throws over 20 yards from Dalton that we saw in his rookie campaign. Yesterday we saw him overthrow A.J. on a crucial third down and throw behind Marvin Jones on fourth down. He struggled mightily and is getting a ton of heat as he should, but I'm not ready to give up on him yet. Andy will regroup for next year, but he has to feel the pressure from the fans now that he hasn't felt before.

That brings us to A.J. On Dalton's interception A.J. simply has to turn around and he would have been able to make the catch in stride for an easy first down. For some reason he never looked back for the ball, and when Dalton threw it trusting A.J. to be alert he simply wasn't paying attention. I cant blame that pick on Andy when A.J. has been trustworthy his whole career and has always been the most reliable receiver on the team. If A.J. gets his head around and doesn't take that play off, then maybe the drive stays alive and they at least salvage some points. That was a huge momentum swing in the game that the Bengals just couldn't recover from.

While I am no Marvin Lewis apologist and believe his time should just about be up in Cincinnati, its a different coach that has to fall on his sword for this loss.

Jay Gruden called twice as many pass plays as he did running plays. Granted some came as the Bengals were trailing, but he still cant abandon the run like that. Also the way Andy was struggling to throw the ball deep and complete passes against the Houston defense, why not call a few screens or quick throws to get him in rhythm and get his confidence going. Not to mention failing to get A.J. Green involved in the offense until the second half. Gruden has reportedly been the target for a number of head coaching jobs, and I for one hope he jumps at the first chance. He mishandled Andy and A.J. yesterday completely. If you ignore your biggest offensive weapon for a whole half of a playoff game, and do nothing to help a second yer quarterback find his confidence on the road in a harsh environment, then the front office should cut him loose.

Once again we as fans were robbed of a playoff win. Different culprits, but the same crime.