Does anyone think the season isn't over?

[HairOnFire]

The people who are bitching about the fact that the Bengals were playing cover-2 are the same people who would have been bitching if they had played prevent and given up the FG.

You won't hear me saying the Bengals should have won this game, because it took them more than 59 minutes to score a single damned point. They deservedto lose. But to blame the defense, or to say that players were out of position allowing that miracle to happen are just flat out wrong.

Good post and points, but I agree with ET's take that the Safeties seemed a little shallow. You'd much rather get beat on a long FG attempt, even by as hot a kicker as Prater is, than to a 80+ yard TD pass with only seconds remaining on the clock.

A "softer" Cover 2 shell would've been ideal, IMO, but at the same time I'm just a fan. Also, why not Morgan Trent in the game instead of Roy, for better coverage personnel on the pass?

Seriously? That play was well defended. Crocker and Williams hit Marshall at the same time the ball would've gotten there if Hall hadn't tipped it. They had no way to know that the ball wasn't there. They were doing what they were supposed to do, which has already been confirmed by Zimmer. Marshall had a few steps on Hall so I'm sure neither safety had reason to believe that Hall would even touch the ball, much less deflect it.

For his part, Hall wasn't able to jump high enough to bat the ball down so he did the only thing he could: deflect the ball. He did his job and so did Crocker and Williams.

I really wish people would stop second guessing the play and the call because 99 times out of 100 deflecting a ball like that ends up in an incomplete pass or an interception.

And there it is....

Shake your fists skyward if you think the football gods are watching, or even care for that matter, but the simple fact remains.....it took a great defensive effort to happen to set events in motion that end with broken Bengal hearts.