As disappointing as last year’s Wild Card playoff loss in Houston was for the Cincinnati Bengals, it was doubly so for cornerback Leon Hall.

That’s because Hall, who was several weeks removed from a season-ending Achilles injury, felt helpless watching from the sideline as the Texans scored 21 unanswered points to beat the Bengals 31-10.

“After the injury it was hard to watch the games, but the playoff game was a little harder obviously,” Hall said. “You just sit there and think would’ve-could’ve-should’ve type stuff. Especially with the way things turned out, it definitely made it hard.”

This year Hall is healthy and playing some of his best football heading into the postseason. His first two interceptions of the season have come in the last three games, including one against Ben Roethlisberger in Pittsburgh that Hall returned 17 yards for the Bengals’ only touchdown in a 13-10 win.

“I definitely feel better now than I did at the beginning of the season,” Hall said. “It’s been a process throughout the year.”

He will need to continue to play well Saturday when he faces one of the league’s top wide receivers in Andre Johnson, who has 112 catches and whose 1,598 yards are second only to the NFL record of 1,964 by Detroit’s Calvin Johnson.

“You can’t let him get into a groove,” Hall said of Johnson. “Sometimes when he gets going, it can get ugly. It’s one of those things where they try to get the ball to him early and often, and you can’t let that happen because once he gets going it really opens up the run game.”

Injury report: Running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis (hamstring) worked on a limited basis for the second day in a row Thursday, but safety Chris Crocker (thigh) missed his second practice in three days.

“It’s unfortunate,” Lewis said when asked about Crocker’s situation. “There’s no way to guard against it. It is what it is.”

When asked about Crocker’s availability for Saturday’s playoff game in Houston, Lewis was vague.

“We’ll see,” he said. “We’re doing well with things. Time will play out the way it will play out.”

All indications are that Green-Ellis will be able to play, but the question is whether he will be 100 percent.

Cornerbacks Jason Allen (hamstring) and Leon Hall (non-injury related), defensive end Wallace Gilberry (illness) and safety Taylor Mays (hamstring) also were limited Thursday. Cornerback Terence Newman (groin) was a full participant after being limited Wednesday.

Momentous meaning: The Bengals are one of four teams entering the playoffs to have won at least seven of their final eight games (Denver 8-0, New England 7-1, Cincinnati 7-1, Washington 7-1).

But recent history shows that type of momentum doesn’t equate to postseason success.

In the previous 10 seasons, 25 teams have entered the playoffs having won at least seven of their final eight games. But those teams are 13-12 in their postseason openers, and only seven have won more than one playoff game.

Of the 25, 17 finished as either the No. 1 or No. 2 seed to earn a first-round bye. The eight teams that had to play on Wild Card weekend are 3-5, including 0-3 on the road, which is the situation the Bengals will find themselves in Saturday at Houston.