Nope. Don't count on it after a 4-3-1 second half. Management will be content to write off the 2008 season, one of the most disappointing for a franchise accustomed to disappointing its customers, because of the loss of a franchise-record 23 players to injured reserve and the absence of quarterback Carson Palmer for 12 of the 16 games because of an inflamed throwing elbow.

Nope, Bengals management will move forward with the confidence to stay the course into next season. Marvin Lewis, who has two years remaining on his contract, will be back. So will defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer. Offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski is not likely to take a fall because he had to play all season without Palmer, even though the Bengals finished with a league-worst 204 points scored.

"I thought it was a good way to finish the season," said Lewis, who predicted on Dec. 7 after the loss at Indianapolis that his team would finish the season with a 3-0 run.

It did, defeating Washington and Kansas City at home, sandwiched around a victory at Cleveland.

But do the largely meaningless victories -- pieced together after the team had been eliminated from postseason contention -- mask the problems?

The Bengals allowed 51 sacks, three times as many as in 2007, and the failure of the starting offensive line to protect the passer or block well in the run game was the biggest reason for an 0-8 start.

The Bengals failed to generate much of a pass rush, collecting just 17 sacks. End Antwan Odom, their big free agent splurge in the offseason, had his third of the season Sunday against the Chiefs. Zimmer said the defense has to generate more pressure on passers.

Shayne Graham kicked three field goals in the finale against Kansas City. He can be a free agent in the offseason -- along with fellow starters Cedric Benson (tailback), T.J. Houshmandzadeh (wide receiver) and Stacy Andrews (right tackle).

The Cincinnati defense -- perhaps the brightest part of the dismal season -- allowed 220 total yards to Kansas City, a week after the Browns could gain just 182. Linebacker Dhani Jones forced and recovered a fourth-quarter Chiefs fumble.

In the three-game winning streak that closed out the season, the Bengals outscored opponents 50-19.

Besides Houshmandzadeh, Chad Ocho Cinco and Palmer, the Bengals played Sunday without starting offensive tackles Levi Jones and Andrews (another rising free agent) and left guard Andrew Whitworth. Tailback Chris Perry, the team's first-round draft pick in 2004, did not play and will not be back. On defense, cornerback Johnathan Joseph, linebacker Keith Rivers and end Robert Geathers -- all injured -- did not play.

In their places, the likes of wide receiver Andre Caldwell, offensive linemen Anthony Collins and Nate Livings, tailbacks Benson and James Johnson, linebacker Brandon Johnson and cornerback David Jones got extensive playing time.

Lewis is banking that he has chosen well in filling his roster with more "pillars," players to whom the opportunity to play professional football means more than the money and fame that accompanies it. The Bengals went younger in the preseason by terminating the contracts of two long-time starters, right tackle Willie Anderson and tailback Rudi Johnson.

Despite the early-season accumulation of losses, Lewis never wavered in his affection for his team's work ethic.

"It gives these types of players the opportunity to prove they can play in a game situation," Lewis said when asked what a season such as 2008 can offer. "When you get back to competing to play in the preseason, it gives these guys the opportunity to prove what they can do. They should have confidence physically and mentally in their preparation.

"We have players who continue to work hard. We may not have been the most talented football team all year, but I do like the football team. I like the way they work and compete. I like the way many of them come to work every day."