*The ' resolve was tested a week ago during a punchy lo s to the rival , but Cincinnati (11-3) got right back on track with (4-10) in San Francisco. The victory officially clinched a spot in the playoffs for the fifth straight season, though the division title is still up in the air thanks to a by Pittsburgh against the . *Here's what we learned...Hue Jackson insisted that he wasn't going to cut down the playbook on , and while we'll never know if he was telling the whole truth -- the were up by 24 points early in the third quarter -- Jackson did allow his young backup to go deep. McCarron throws a nice long ball, and connected on chunk plays to both and , which kept the out of the box for a good portion of the game. It helps that Jackson might very well be the best play-caller in football right now. He's well on his way to getting another shot at a head coaching gig. McCarron, on the other hand, has some happy feet Kerry Wood Jersey to work through, but what young NFL quarterback doesn't?The played in a relatively quiet stadium on Sunday afternoon, that is until halftime when a resounding cacophony of boos broke out to usher the team inside the tunnel. This is a sad situation given how deep this roster was just two years ago. This is a team with good fans and a nice new stadium that just saw everything completely disintegrate in a matter of months. The truly sad part is that there are players who, unfazed by the reality of the situation, still show up and play their tails off -- running back and linebacker among them. And good on Bowman, who was still in the middle of everything Sunday, scolding players for committing poor penalties.Fresh off a testy game a week ago, was still heated but directed that energy nicely. Defensive coordinator Paul Guenther dialed up a fine linebacker blitz in the first half that gave Burfict his first sack of the season. A few minutes later, he recorded his first interception of the year, which pushed the to a 21-0 halftime lead. If nothing else, he is good enough -- and the defense is good enough -- to give the a decent game next week in prime time.All great NFL teams get picked apart by free agency and coach-needy franchises, but seeing this band break up will be truly upsetting. In the third quarter after lowered the boom on safety , Marvin Lewis was there ready to give him a hug and a helmet tap. Jackson was not far behind. This team shows both the highs and lows a sociated with patience, but few clubs are having more fun than the right now. Few have a more familial atmosphere. remains a bit of a concern. His yards per carry are down, and after already receiving multiple benchings in 2015 for ball security i sues, he coughed up another that set the up with their first points of the night. As the team's primary goal-line option, this isn't exactly inspiring confidence, and as we drift further into power football season, Hill needs to come to terms with his errors.Good for , who probably earned himself a chance to compete for a starting job next season again. His contract runs through the 2016 season, and even though the are hopeful that they can find answers for , Gabbert may have been the best part about this offense down the stretch. Brandon Kintzler Jersey