deal, giving the team two dominant but aging receivers with Owens and Chad Ochocinco. Nonetheless, the team collapsed after a 2–1 start, losing 10 games in a row on the way to finishing with a 4–12 record, the worst finish for Marvin Lewis as head coach. 2011 With the 4th pick in the 2011 draft, the Bengals took WR A. J. Green from Georgia. Most of the off-season was marred by a league lockout and Carson Palmer's sudden demand to be traded to another team. Mike Brown flatly refused to either release or trade him, and Palmer instead announced his plans to retire from the NFL. Another familiar face departed when Chad Ochocinco was traded to New England in August. With this, the Bengals decided to name unproven rookie QB Andy Dalton as their starter. On October 17, Palmer, who had been holding out since Brown announced he refused to trade him, was traded to the Oakland Raiders for 2 first round picks in 2012 and 2013. The Bengals finished with a record of 9-7 and qualified for the playoffs as the 6th seed in the AFC. They lost 31–10 to the Houston Texans in the Wild Card round. 2012 This was the first non-strike year that the Bengals qualified for the playoffs in back-to-back seasons. The Bengals finished 10–6, improving on their record from the previous year and securing the #5 seed in the AFC, but lost again to the Houston Texans. 2013 The Bengals came into the 2013 season as division favorites and as a dark horse for the Super Bowl. The Bengals attained an 11–5 record, winning the AFC North division title. However, their season came to an end in the Wild Card round when the San Diego Chargers beat the heavily favored Bengals. 2014 Head coach Marvin Lewis was given authority over many day-to-day football operations by owner Mike Brown prior to the season. The Bengals finished 10–5–1 and once again made the playoffs, but were knocked out by the Indianapolis Colts. 2015: fifth straight playoff appearance The 2015 season saw the Bengals attain an 8–0 start, thanks to strong play from Andy Dalton. However, Dalton broke his thumb in week 14 against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Backup A. J. McCarron was serviceable, leading the team to finish at 12–4 and clinched the AFC North title for the second time in three seasons. The Bengals were set