(Photo: Getty Images)

It'd be easy to attribute the way the Bengals played today to being shell-shocked at the news that broke before the game that Marvin Lewis has decided to not return next season.  

Until you remember that today's embarrassing performance wasn't that dissimilar from what we watched last week when they Bengals were shellacked by the Bears.  It looked like their performance in the second half against the Steelers two weeks ago. Today's game looked a lot like games they played against the Ravens, Texans, and Colts.  It was a representative performance of a team that's been miserable to watch all season.

What the Bengals were today is what they have been all season. Today was just another terrible performance in a season full of them.  This wasn't about the team being affected by the Marvin Lewis news, this was about a lousy team that's laid down all season being drilled by a dramatically superior opponent.

What they were today is what they have been all season.