Texans vs. Bengals: 11 Things We Learned from Cincinnati's 20-19 Loss

The Bengals' youth movement continued in stride and closed the gap between good teams and mediocre teams.

Yet the gap between the Bengals and good teams continued to be razor thin, as Cincinnati dropped a heart-breaker in the waning seconds of the game.

It was not so much any one moment, rather several key moments where the game would have been had if only a slight mistake or misstep had not been made or taken.

The future is bright for the Bengals—even though the door came closer to closing out the Bengals remarkable run in 2011.

Here is what we learned from the Bengals' week 14 loss...

The Fire Is Back

The Bengals came out as a team, they stretched as a team, and they were fired up as a team.  Yet the results of the four quarters of play showed a team on the verge of congealing but not quite there on yet another "so close yet so far" week against a winning team.

Mike Nugent for MVP

Four key field goals once again solidified Nugent as being back and being the foundation of the finishing touches on the Bengals' drives.

Nugent has been consistent and reliable throughout the season in the unheralded position of place kicker.

The most thankless job on any football team, Nugent continues to bring stability and consistency to the Cincinnati kicking game.

Dalton the Leader

Andy Dalton continued to lead the team and show that the fast start is a glimpse of the future explosive Bengals' offense.

Consistency is the only issue as the sky is the limit once the entire team shows up for all four quarters.

Offensive Line Lacks Depth, Offense Lacks Finishing Power

The offensive line was without the reborn Andre Smith, and it showed. 

Another false start derailed yet another promising start to the game—surprisingly by veteran Bobbie Williams—as the Bengals had to settle for a field goal yet again on a momentum building then deflating early drive.

Rest assured, the Bengals can easily correct these issues in the offseason, but for once, the Bengals are focusing on the season at hand.

Defense Is Down and Secondary Was Out

"Fall on the ball!," was likely the scream in every non-blacked out TV room of Bengals fans able to watch the game (the second lowest attendance in Paul Brown Stadium history with 41,202 to watch).

Rey Maualuga forced his second fumble on the day from Arian Foster while Geno Atkins recovered, fumbled the ball inside the 10-yard line and Jonathan Fanene missed picking up the ball instead of falling on it as the Texans took the ball back barely on the field at the 2-yard line.

Instead of celebrating a touchdown a few plays later, the Bengals would surrender a field goal (another difference maker) which would help sink Cincinnati later.

It was a drive that typified the Bengals' defensive struggles on the afternoon.  While the line and linebackers were strong, the secondary was thin and inconsistent—especially at mid-range where they were exploited from 10 to 20 yards from the line of scrimmage in the air.

Benson Has One Good Run Per Game

Cedric Benson had a productive afternoon carrying 21 times for 91 yards (4.2 average per carry) including a blockbusting 42 yard breakout on the second drive of the game.

Getting the team to the 2-yard line was not enough as the Bengals had to settle for a field goal on the drive.

A.J. Made Off-Season Losses Digestable

In the highly anticipated match up between former Bengal Jonathan Joseph and future of the franchise A.J. Green, Green showed up Joseph drawing a long pass interference call on Jonathan while compiling 5 receptions for 59 yards to lead all Bengals' receivers.

Pacman Chomped Too Hard

Pacman came in to play and fight.

It was a good day for Adam Jones except for his final defensive attempt which drew a 17-yard penalty, putting the Texans on the six yard line with 18 seconds to play.

Another single play that did not need to be had as a difference maker.

While Jones should be picked up for more seasons to come, his contribution continued to reflect the problematic theme for the afternoon—lack of poise and control.

Heartbreak Continues

The Bengals still need to turn the corner and a last second loss can have lasting impressions on a depleted defense that lacks a consistent secondary.

The Bengals' defensive unit needs to learn to protect the middle of the field along with the sidelines as the Texans exploited the mid-range throws all day—punctuated with a back-breaking touchdown.

Bengals Killed by Former Bengals

Former Bengals Kevin Walker (wide receiver) and Neil Rackers (kicker) finished off the Bengals with a touchdown to tie and extra-point to win it.

The Bengals certainly have allowed much better talent to go elsewhere (Jonathan Joseph for one, Justin Smith for another) and former Bengals have made their presence felt on returns to Cincinnati once again.

Conclusion: Did Marvin Put Too Much on the Line?

Marvin Lewis called Sunday's game the biggest of his nine-year career in Cincinnati via The Cincinnati Enquirer.  The question is now if Marvin can bounce back and keep the team believing without the "biggest game" motivational card.

Bouncing back as a team from these past few weeks will be key to stay in the race to the playoffs and beyond....