Redskins Hit Bottom With 20-13 Loss To Bengals

CINCINNATI -- A week of acrimony and attrition ended with another Washington Redskins loss - and this one was the most mind-boggling of them all.

Unable to beat one of the NFL's lowliest teams, the Redskins found themselves with a break-even record and broken playoff hopes Sunday. They hit bottom with a staggering 20-13 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals that left some players with moist eyes.

"This is definitely the hardest loss I've had since I've been here," said fifth-year tight end Chris Cooley, whose fumble got the game headed the wrong way for Washington. "It's tough. We gave ourselves a real chance to be in the playoffs.

"It was like a playoff game for us. To play that way is a major disappointment."

It doesn't take a genius to see the Redskins (7-7) are in a mess of trouble.

Since going 6-2 in the first half of the season, they've lost five of their last six and started coming apart in the locker room as well as on the field. They were missing both starting offensive tackles against the Bengals (2-11-1) - and some of their unity, too.

Miffed that he was benched in the second half of a loss to Baltimore last Sunday, running back Clinton Portis derisively called coach Jim Zorn a "genius" during the week. That led to a players-only meeting and a lot of questions about whether the team had begun to unravel.

Portis got plenty of work Sunday - 25 carries for 77 yards - but also dropped a pass on Washington's final drive. He knew where to put the blame for this one.

"It's pretty tough," Portis said. "We had an opportunity to come in here and keep our season alive, and we let it slip away. We didn't execute. You can't put that on the coaches. It was on us on the field."

They didn't do much right against a team that needs a lot of help just to be competitive. The Bengals were coming off their worst back-to-back losses in franchise history and hadn't scored a touchdown in 12 quarters. Washington helped them pull ahead 17-0 with a flurry of mistakes - a fumble, missed tackles, penalties - then undercut its comeback with the biggest gaffe of them all.

"I'm speechless," said fullback Mike Sellers, whose goal-line fumble became the final blow. "We're having a hard time beating some of the worst teams."

Washington cut it to 17-10 at halftime, then was only a foot away from tying it in the third quarter. On third-and-goal, Sellers' surge was stopped short of the end zone - safety Kyries Hebert tugged on his shirttail to keep him out. Unable to get any traction, Sellers stretched the ball toward the goal line and linebacker Corey Mays snatched it out of his hands, leaving the Redskins crestfallen.

"To get down there and have that opportunity and not come away with any points, that was tough and it kind of deflated us after that," quarterback Jason Campbell said.

Washington's defense allowed the Bengals to hold the ball for 7 minutes, 13 seconds before Shayne Graham kicked a 45-yard field goal with 2:20 left. Rock Cartwright returned the kickoff 87 yards to set up a matching field goal, but Shaun Suisham's onside kick tumbled out of bounds, allowing the Bengals to run out the clock and celebrate.

"How do you think I feel?" receiver Chad Ocho Cinco said. "Look at my face. I actually want to go out and go to the restaurant and eat and not have to worry about the questions."

For the Redskins, the tough questions are just beginning. Notes: Washington WR Santana Moss drew a 15-yard penalty for pulling the towel out of his waistband and shining his yellow-topped shoes after his TD catch. Ocho Cinco also drew a 15-yard taunting penalty for handing the ball to Portis on the Redskins bench after he ran out of bounds after making a catch. ... In their last five losses, the Redskins have scored six, 10, seven, 10 and 13 points. ... The victory means Cincinnati won't set a franchise record for losses this season. The Bengals went 2-14 in 2002.