Posted: 1:25 a.m.
A few notes, quotes and observations following Sunday's 37-0 defeat to the New York Jets.
Head Coach Marvin Lewis
» On the game: "The Jets beat us in all three phases. We get to go at them again next Saturday afternoon, and that's about the size of it. We had a lot to play for, and we didn't play well. How we lost it, it doesn't really matter. You don't get this opportunity very much in the National Football League. I guess we're blessed to have this opportunity coming up next week."
» On his offense's ineffectiveness: "I don't think we played to the conditions very well. That hurt us. In weather conditions, you have to make sure you get yardage running the football. And having the opportunity to get manageable third downs. We didn't adjust very well. We tried to stay on script a little too much. You have to make first downs and not continue to stay on script like it was a general afternoon. It was a different night."
Quarterback Carson Palmer
» On the upcoming week: "It will be a long week but an exciting week."
» On the effect of this loss: "It will bring us closer. That's what we talked about in the locker room. There were no excuses. We got beat up and down the field. They know they beat us. We know they beat us. We've got a group of guys that have stuck together through the highs and lows. This is obviously a low, but we have a chance to make it a high this Saturday."
» On the reasons for the lopsided game: "There were a lot of reasons. From missed assignments to dropped balls, to bad throws. There wasn't much good. We're going to have to look at the film, and it's going to be tough to swallow."
Wide receiver Chad Ochocinco
» On next week's preparations: "Next week will be more serious, more serious. It's the playoffs. There won't be Twitter world."
» On if he was shut down by Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis and if he will change his name back to Johnson like he indicated pregame in an interview with NBC's Bob Costas: "Child please, child please."
» On how he bruised his knee in pregame warmups. "They've got to heat the damn field, or something."
Tackle Andrew Whitworth
» On the game: "They needed to win this game and they played that way. We played poorly. We didn't give our best effort. I don't know why we played so poorly. Who we played (in next week's playoff game) was not our concern. We want to get to the playoffs. We let this one slip because we weren't as focused as we should have been."
» On how the team will bounce back: "They don't get extra points next week. It's still going to start 0-0."
Linebacker Dhani Jones
» On the struggles of the defense: "You have to stay in your gap. You have to make the tackle. You have to make the right fit. We didn't do any of that today. It showed overall. They had to have at least 300 yards rushing (257). That's crazy. It's embarrassing."
» On how that can happen to the second-ranked defense: "We were (second-ranked). The stats were a little bit differebnt today. I can't explain it."
NOTES
» Ochocinco doesn't know if he's going to practice on Tuesday, but he is going to have an MRI on Monday. Lewis said Ochocinco will be fine.
» The Bengals have allowed teams to rush for more than 100 yards in three of the last four games, including a season-high 257 on Sunday, the most in 32 games under defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer. By comparison, in the five games after the bye week the Bengals gave up a total of 315 rushing yards.
» Two runs by Jets wide receiver/quarterback Brad Smith out of the Wildcat (a 57-yarder that set up the first Jets touchdown and a 32-yard touchdown run) were the longest rushes against the Bengals this season.
» Nobody wanted to say the injuries were catching up to them, but when the Bengals were lined up Sunday night the Bengals defense was without six Opening Day starters: Safety Chris Crocker, defensive tackle Domata Peko, linebacker Rey Maualuga, safety Roy Williams, and defensive ends Robert Geathers and Antwan Odom.
» Pat Sims, who suffered a broken forearm Sunday, said he caught his arm with a blitzing linebacker while he was engaged with a Jets offensive lineman.
» With the short week the players will have Monday off. Their regular week starts Tuesday instead of the normal Wednesday.
» Both Crocker and Peko said they would be back for next Saturday's playoff game.
