Bengals Pass At Bye

I watched families file into church Christmas Eve, my car idling, waiting for the Bengals game to end before attending service. They lost, in a shootout, to the Bills. The Bills, of all teams. A crew that hadn't been able to win a road game all year. I sat, with a cold rain dancing across the windshield, as the contest's last few moments hopelessly played out some 90 miles up the road. With the defeat went the hopes of earning a bye the first week of the playoffs.

My kid kept reminding, as we walked beneath cover of an umbrella, that the Bengals players were happy for the other team. I assured her they were not. I explained that, sometimes in life, despite what we might be told, there are occasions when it's not OK to lose. I told her those times are very rare, but football games in December are one of them.

Hopefully she's not confused. She enjoyed the service, and said no more.

By the time church was over, and I was back in the car, the post-game show was winding down. Apparently callers -- I missed all of them -- had been incensed. Jungle morale must have been very low. Before signing off the host reminded us "it's just a football game." Of course, he didn't mean football's only a game. He meant it's only one loss. And, he's right. The Bengals are set for home-field advantage. The season's been fun. Already it's surpassed expectation. And, it's not over yet. This loss could turn out to be the best thing yet (a reminder to this surprising Bengals club that they can't let their guard down for a moment).