The Bengals had a fourth-and-inches at the New England 30 and a three-point lead with 7:14 left in the first half Sunday against the New England Patriots.
Then came the slow implode that so often happens when a bad team meets a good one in the NFL, and the Bengals were on their way to their 13th loss in the 14 games – 34-13 before 57,066, the largest crowd of the year at Paul Brown Stadium.