This was the kind of game that can make or break a season.  This s what most Bengals fans were saying and most Bengals coaches and players were thinking before the game. 

Well it certainly did define the season and maybe the team overall. 

Watching the Bengals pathetic defense give up a 21 point lead, 49 total points total, and  now a three game lead to Baltimore did define this years Bengals. 

It was one of the most disappointing games Bengals fans have faced in some time.  At least with the Shula/Coslet era fans knew the team was terrible.  Fans knew to expect disaster anytime they had some thing going in the right direction.  Bengals fans knew they were always one play away from a game getting away from the Bengals getting blown up and embarrassing themselves.  This is something different.  This was a lack of players due to injuries, a lack of heart on the defense, and apparently a lot of confused defensive Bengals coaches not having a clue.  Marvin Lewis has been touted as a defensive genius.  Not since he has been with the Bengals. We have yet to have even an average defensive team since his arrival. Yesterday may have been the right time to let some of that geniuos to shine.  Can anyone on the Bengals coaching staff say blitz?

One thing that really caught me by surprise at the game was that when the Bengals went up by 21 points on the Chargers, I heard no less than three fans say it was not enough points or make references to the fact that the Bengals would still probably find a way to lose the game.  As I watched the game, I realized that Bengals fans are still snake bitten and simply don’t believe in this team.  I thought to myself, that if your team is up by 21 points in the NFL and you still don’t think your team is going to win or that it may be a struggle, then you may want to start looking for a new team to root for.  NFL teams don’t blow 21 point leads.  I stand corrected, the 2006 Bengals do, and I realized just why a Bengals fan still struggles to belive even with a 21 point lead.  The Bengals defense came through with flying colors and proceded to completely unravel and give the game away to the Chargers.  Not only did they work to blow the lead, they were able to give up 49 points and lose the game.

This morning the Bengals defense should be busy sending apology letters to their offensive counterparts and Bengals fans.  They should be humiliated and embarrassed over their performance.  This was the kind of a performance that most likely should get someone fired or demoted, and there are a few choices starting with the Coordinators on either side of the ball.  People have been questioning the offensive play calling, well the good news for the Bengals Offensive Coordinator is that the defensive Coordinator was able to take some of the heat off of him with his own totally inept performance this week.  Trust me after watching that debacle, the offense is the least of Marvin’s problems.

In the end, it is not completely over yet, but soon the Bengals begin to rely on things other than their own performance to possibly get them into the playoff.  They will have to put together a run and win the vast majority of their last seven games and maybe even need some help from other teams.  This is a far way off from the Bengals team we expected to have by this time at the start of the year.  I am not saying it is time to look to next season yet, but another performance by the defense like this one, and it is all but over.  Championship teams don’t give up 21 point leads.  They give up 49 points, and the don’t lose potentially season defining games.  Average and bad teams in the NFL do things like the Bengals did yesterday.

So the game did indeed most likely define a season as promised.  The problem is that it most likely defined the Chargers season.