Bengals out; Cowher too?

Joey Porter tried to end the suspense and get an answer for the question that all of Pittsburgh is asking.

A few minutes after the Steelers knocked the Cincinnati Bengals out of playoff contention with a 23-17 victory in overtime Sunday, the emotional linebacker cornered his head coach -- the one he kissed after a victory early in the season -- and asked if he was staying.

“Today was the first time anybody put him on the spot,” Porter said. “I asked him. He said he doesn’t know. We love the guy regardless.”

Cowher later walked through the locker room with a peaceful smile on his face and his black, double-breasted jacked comfortably unbuttoned. He stopped to embrace one player, then another, for a little chitchat about the game.

They all wanted to know the answer to the overriding question.

“They brought it up to me,” said Cowher, who is 161-99-1 in 15 seasons at Pittsburgh. “It’s hard when I see those guys.

“I know where I’m leaning. I want to make sure I’m thinking clearly about it. I’m not burned out. When I make a decision, it’s a well-thought-out one. I’m not a hindsight kind of guy.”

While the Steelers waited for an answer, the Bengals (8-8) were already deep into hindsight about a season gone wrong.

The defending AFC North champions were first in line for a wild-card playoff berth with three weeks left in the season, but wound up shut out of the playoffs by an 0-3 finish. A week ago in Denver, a bad snap on an extra-point attempt with 46 seconds to play kept them from forcing overtime in a 24-23 loss that prevented them from clinching a playoff spot.

There were more mistakes galore against the Steelers (8-8), who beat them in the playoffs last season. Shayne Graham was wide right on a 39-yard field goal try with eight seconds left in regulation.

On the third play in overtime, Ben Roethlisberger threw a pass to Santonio Holmes, who eluded three defenders and dived into the end zone, completing a 67-yard touchdown play.

Another bad kick and another defensive breakdown had finished off Cincinnati.

“That’s just another game we shouldn’t have lost to another team we feel we’re better than,” said quarterback Carson Palmer, who rallied the Bengals with a pair of fourth-quarter touchdown passes.

Four hours after their loss, the Bengals got more reason to feel bad about it. Denver’s 26-23 loss in overtime to San Francisco meant that Cincinnati would have gotten the AFC’s other wild card, had Graham made the field goal with eight seconds left.

“I never in a million years thought we’d be sitting at home during the playoffs, with the talent we have,” running back Rudi Johnson said.