impossible to make it today

Marvin Lewis' decision to only kick a field goal on 4th-and-1 from Pittsburgh's 2-yard line in today's Bengals game is being widely criticized in the media, and rightfully so. Lewis attempted to defend accusations that the decision showed a lack of faith in his offense by saying that he didn't anticipate the Steelers marching down the field and scoring like they ended up doing. Basically he tried to argue that it was confidence in his defense--and not a lack of confidence in his offense--that led to the decision (although he did admit after the game that he should have gone for it, hindsight being 20/20). The problem is that any coach in touch with reality would realize that the Bengals' strength lies in their offense and, more often than not, the defense is their Achilles' heal. It was a terrible call, one that sucked any remaining spirit out of both the Bengals players and the fans. It was a game-killing decision, and one that essentially buried any small chance the Bengals had of making something out the their current quagmire of a season. Had the Bengals pulled off the upset today, there would be a three-way tie at 4-3 in the AFC North with Cincinnati right behind at 3-4. Instead, they fall to 2-5 and are all but eliminated from the playoffs.