"Players packed up their gear, had season-ending talks with coach Marvin Lewis, then departed Paul Brown Stadium on Monday. What happens by the time the Bengals report again for the start of offseason conditioning on April 16 remains to be seen.

The tone was more about looking ahead than looking back at a season that had mixed reviews. In the big picture, a 9-7 regular season and second playoff berth in three years were better than anyone could have hoped during training camp.

In the narrow view, a 6-2 mark at midseason raised stakes that the Bengals didn't match. Instead, they dropped six of their final nine games, including last Saturday's 31-10 loss at Houston."