This game seems to be the perfect model to how this Bengals season has gone:  the Bengals snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

I mean, I could be mad that the Bengals jump offsides on 4th and 2 to give the Saints a first down and the opportunity to win the game.  But my anger has dissipated to a microscopic level for this season.  It’s not really anger anymore when the Bengals Bungle up a play.  It’s just what’s expected.  The Bengals are just good enough to keep you interested, and then they pull the rug from underneath your feet.

My wife and the rest of the world were surprised that the game was this close.  Deep down inside, though, I knew this would happen.  There aren’t many surprises left for the season except for how the Bengals will lose the game, vs. how they will win a game.

So what’s left for the season?  Pride.  What pride is there in being a Bengal?  If this season is this bad, the best thing that could happen next year is if there’s a lockout of the entire season, sparing the world from how bad the Bengals could potentially be.

Many people are predicting wholesale changes.  I will write more about this later, since that’s all there is really to write about anymore.  But I have a feeling that the following changes WON”T happen:

1)  Carson Palmer will remain as QB.

2)  We won’t get a new GM.

Other than that, just about everyone is fair game.  M. Lewis will almost certainly be gone once this season is done.  Mike Brown might have the pink slip attached to the red flag in his pocket for the last game.  Just so that M. Lewis knows that if has any inclination to protest a football play, he won’t be able to protest his firing.   Terrell Owens has a 30/70 chance of coming back.   C. Ochocinco, I’d say, has a 70/30 chance of coming back.  I have my reasons, for another Palmer/Ochocinco season, none of which I feel like explicating right now.

In fact, this blog entry is like the Bengals season: I’m done.