So close, yet so far.
The Cincinnati Bengals ended the regular season with the best record in the AFC – for a team not making the playoffs, that is.
Closing out with a five-game winning streak, they reached 9-8 for the second successive year.
But once again, that record proved a win shy of securing a postseason berth.
It is galling to think how close they got this term. Seven of their eight losses were one-score games.
Had any of those results gone the other way, Cincy would be contesting a Wild Card game this weekend.
Four season-defining plays
Here are four key plays from some of those defeats that mark some classic ‘Sliding Doors’ moments.
Week 1: Bengals 10-16 Patriots
Cincy would have won their season opener if tight end Tanner Hudson had hauled in a 3rd-and-11 pass from Joe Burrow.
However, Pats safety Kyle Dugger stripped the ball from his grasp on the goal line and cornerback Marcus Jones ran it back 17 yards.
Week 2: Bengals 25-25 Chiefs
With Cincy leading 25-23 with 38 seconds left, defensive pass interference was called against rookie safety Daijahn Anthony on a crucial 4th-and-16.
The penalty on a deep shot intended for Rashee Rice extended Kansas City’s drive, enabling Harrison Butker to kick a game-winning 51-yard field goal as time expired.
Week 5: Bengals 38-41 Ravens
With the score tied at 38-38 in overtime, the agonising way that Evan McPherson’s field goal attempt drifted wide sums this campaign up.
Rookie punter/holder Ryan Rehkow bobbled the snap, fluffed the placement and the 53-yard attempt sailed off to the left. Cincinnati’s hopes of victory went with it.
The Ravens’ Justin Tucker inevitably scored the crucial field goal shortly afterwards.
Week 10: Ravens 35-34 Bengals
In an action-packed Thursday night rematch, Cincy missed on a two-point conversion with – you guessed it – 38 seconds remaining.
If Burrow’s pass had made it to that man again, Tanner Hudson, the Bengals would have secured a W but alas, it flew too high.
Close but no cigar
So there you have it.
You could argue the Bengals were one interception, one penalty, one field goal or one pass away from the playoffs. But I am not saying they were hard done by.
Far from it, in fact their lack of success was self-inflicted. The offense was slow out of the gate and the defense was atrocious until the last few weeks.
But even so, if one of these plays – literally just one – had gone as intended, you would now be reading a preview of a playoff game with Buffalo rather than my musings on what might have been.
