Archdeacon: A.J. Green with no catches ... and no shoes in likely final game as a Bengal

But neither of them involved Cincinnati quarterback Brandon Allen. He was atrocious.

Every time he tried to get the ball to the legendary Bengals receiver, the pass was either off target, knocked down by Baltimore defenders or, in two cases, picked off by the Ravens – once when Green was wide open in the end zone.

When you play like that it’s no wonder your quarterback rating ends up 0.00 and your team finishes the season with 11 losses – this one a 38-3 drubbing by Baltimore.

As for those two perfect passes, they came from Green himself.

When he left the field after the game – probably for the last time in a Cincinnati uniform – the 10-year veteran had a COVID mask covering his nose and mouth, but you could clearly see his eyes. They were glistening with tears.

He’s played his entire NFL career here, this last season under a franchise tag. He’s an unrestricted free agent now and the Bengals, thinking his age (32) and injuries have chipped away at his production – almost certainly won’t pay him what he wants.

He’s arguably the best Bengals receiver in history. He needed just one touchdown catch Sunday to tie Chad Johnson for the franchise’s career record of 66 TD catches..

Johnson played here 10 years and holds the record not only in TDs, but catches and receiving yards. But he had Carson Palmer throwing to him and TJ Houshmandzadeh as the No. 2 receiver to take the pressure off.

Green was selected to seven Pro Bowls and Johnson six.

Like Johnson, Green is a fan favorite, though in a different way.

Johnson – as Ocho Cinco – was an over the top showman. Green is a humble performer everyone respects.

Although COVID restrictions limited the crowd to 10,499 Sunday, several people showed up with signs thanking Green for his career here

One guy’s message read: “If this is the end, thanks for the memories A.J.” Next to it was a picture of a goat (as in G.O.A.T. – Greatest of All Time.)

Seeing the love as he walked off, Green took off his bright orange shoes and tossed each one to a fan.

They were the only two passes that turned our right for the Bengals.

Late in the third quarter the Bengals ended up with a first and goal situation from the 1-yard line thanks to two straight pass interference calls on the Ravens, who mugged Green as the ball was coming his way.

From the 1, Green got open in the back left corner of the end zone but Allen – who completed just six of 21 attempts – underthrew the ball and it was picked off by the Ravens Marcus Peters.

With just over four minutes left in the game, Green again got into the end zone but Allen’s 26-yard pass attempt was picked off by safety Chuck Clark.

Green would end the day without a catch and remain one TD reception behind Johnson with 65.

The other record that was on the line was rookie receiver Tee Higgins’ attempt to set the all-time Bengals’ mark for receptions by a first-year player. He came into the game tied with Cris Collinsworth, whose record 67 catches has stood for 39 years.

On the Bengals third play of the game, it looked like Higgins had set the mark with a 21-yard reception. But the play was called back on a Cincinnati penalty and worse, as Higgins was running after the catch, he tweaked his left hamstring and fell to the ground in pain.

He lay there for a while as trainers tended to tended to him and finally made his way to the bench and never played again.

Cincinnati did set one record Sunday. It’s defense gave up a franchise record 404 rushing yards. They came within three yards of tying the modern day NFL record (407), which ironically the Bengals inflicted on Denver 21 years ago when running back Corey Dillon ran for 278 himself.

The all-time NFL rushing record was set by the Detroit Lions in 1934 when they pounded out 426 yards against a Pittsburgh team then called the Pirates.

That mark likely would have been broken by Baltimore on Sunday had the Ravens not pulled many of their starters early in the fourth quarter.

Baltimore (11-5) is getting ready for the playoffs while the 4-11-1 Bengals are headed to a roller-coaster offseason.

Players like Green will be gone. And this past week word swirled on social media that some of the assistant coaches are either leaving or being fired.

After the game a couple of players talked about how “awkward” that had been the past few days and how they just “avoided” that conversation.

Then there’s the issue of injuries. The face of the franchise – rookie quarterback Joe Burrow who had been magnificent in the first two months of the season – is now coming back from major knee surgery. Top running back Joe Mixon has been lost since October and now Higgins is hobbled.

Several other players were injured Sunday and, once again, one was sidelined due to COVID-19 protocols.

The team still has the pandemic to work through, there’s the black cloud of continued losing and also the nagging question about head coach Zac Taylor and if he’s really up to the job after winning just six games in his first two seasons.

Everyone here was hoping to go out with another upset victory, which would have ended the season with a three-game winning streak. And everyone wanted to get Green that final touchdown or, better, two more.

A few players – speaking in postgame Zoom calls – talked about what an honor it was to play alongside Green, who is a model as a teammate, a husband, a father and has been involved in the community.

“I am very honored to have been able to play with someone like him,” safety Jessie Bates III said. “He was one touchdown away from that record and I’m sure he’s very disappointed.

“He deserves that record. He’s put so much into this city and into this organization. He deserved to reach it.

“But he has a great life ahead of him. I’m sure he’ going to play next year…but it may not be here.”