Last week my boss, who is a big Vikings fan, asked me what my prediction for the game was. I said either A) Close game, where it could go either way, or B) Blow out by the Vikings. Unfortunately it was “B” on Sunday. It was close for about 60% of the game, but there were several aspects of the game that prevented the Bengals from truly contending:

#1: Penalties: I’ve grown an almost zen-like acceptance of our penalties. The Bengals run a play, a yellow flag flies through the air, and my brain just goes, “Of course we have a penalty.” Eleven penalties for 85 yards. I mean, Carson Palmer threw for only 94 yards. I honestly don’t know which one I’m more zen-like pissed at. All these penalties show a great lack of discipline. The Bengals had two penalties called BEFORE THEY COMPLETED THEIR FIRST PLAY. This inauspicious beginning portended a long, long, LONG day.

#2: We Can’t Throw the Ball: This is the most painful thing to admit. Carson Palmer, our number one draft pick, the guy with the golden arm from USC, has just been mediocre this season, unless the game is on the line in the fourth quarter. Palmer’s longest pass play was 15 yards. He threw for 94 yards on 15 completions. That’s an average of barely over 6 yards a catch. How is that going to strike fear into anyone defense’s heart? Of course, this isn’t all Carson’s fault either. I don’t know if our receivers have been a major help to him. Laveranues Coles did not even have a pass thrown in his direction. Not one! That’s pretty sad. Our supposed number two receiver doesn’t even have a pass targeted at him? Why did we even sign this guy? He was never this bad with the Jets. I mean, you gotta give credit to Vikings cornerback Antoine Winfield, because he played really well, but our guys need to step it up.

#3: What If: At the end of the first half, the Vikings had the ball, it was second and goal, and Favre throws the ball in the end zone. Jonathon Joseph ALMOST intercepted the ball. The dude juggled the ball about three times before he dropped it. That play hurt on several levels. One, even though we eventually held them to just a field goal, it still allowed them to get points on the board. Two, we get the ball back with less time, so we inexplicably decide to run a few “safe” plays and then Brian Leonard fumbles the ball, allowing them to score another field goal. What would’ve happened if Joseph makes the interception? Would we have made a more concerted effort to go down field if we had more time? That’s a six point swing right there, possibly nine if we score a field goal or more. In a 30-10 game, that sounds like nothing, but it could’ve provided us with more momentum.

#4: Scared Play Calling: The Vikings came out strong in the second half, scoring a touchdown on their first series, making the score 23-7. We couldn’t get anything going until Cedric Benson had a 42 yard run (he actually had a decent game with 96 yards rushing, even though it seemed like he was bottled up more often than not). It was first and goal, it was at the beginning of the fourth quarter, and what do we do? We run the ball twice, try to throw it to Chad on third and goal, and then kick a field goal. My first thought? Game over. 23-7, there’s only 14 minutes left of the game, and we try for 3 instead of six. I mean, it sounds like a lot of time in a football game, but you need at least two touchdowns and 2 two-point conversions to tie it. When it’s fourth and goal, and it’s the fourth quarter, and you’re down by 16 points, with a possibly playoff berth on the line, GO FOR IT. I mean, if Palmer is anything, he is clutch. How psyched would the players be to go for it? If it fails… Well, we lost anyway, and I know it’s easy to be coaching from my couch, but it seems like you just gotta go for it in those situations.

#5: Run Defense was Porous: Adrian Peterson ran it for 97 yards, and he also had 40 reception yards. It definitely hurt not having Domata Peko in the lineup, but our backups need to play much more disciplined football.

The one positive about the game? Leon Hall and Jonathon Joseph played really well, covering the Vikings receivers like stink on a monkey’s butt. They defended many passes and Hall had a nice interception. Other than that and Cedric Benson, it was a lackluster effort overall.

So now the Bengals lose, the Ravens win, and the window to guarantee a playoff berth has been narrowed to three games, with the next game against a tough Chargers team on the road. My confidence in the Bengals keeps diminishing from week to week. We’ll probably make the playoffs, but if we can’t clean up the penalties and throw the ball more than 15 yards, we won’t be making much noise in the postseason.