A spray of white and yellow flowers rests on the shelf in Chris Henry’s locker. His name and No. 15 are still affixed to the wooden cubicle. The receiver’s tiger-striped helmet hangs from a hook on the side. T-shirts are arranged on a pole in the back.

It’s almost as though he hasn’t left.

The Cincinnati Bengals receiver was buried Tuesday in his native New Orleans, with grieving teammates and coaches along to say goodbye. It was the toughest day in a stretch of them for the Bengals (9-5), who flew back to Cincinnati and tried to move on.

Time to dry those tears and win that title.

The AFC North leaders have already wasted two chances to take it, losing back-to-back road games against Minnesota and San Diego. In between, they dealt with Henry’s death during what police describe as a domestic dispute in North Carolina.

Players spent their day off flying on a team charter to a funeral that left them spent.

“It was a weird day,” quarterback Carson Palmer said. “Sad day. Emotional. Strange. Long. It was just a tough, draining day for a lot of our players.”

Coach Marvin Lewis eased up on them a bit this week to get them emotionally recharged for the Chiefs (3-11), who are trying to give themselves a few good memories at the end of a season that’s had its own drama.

Kansas City released controversial running back Larry Johnson on Nov. 9 as he was getting ready to come back from his latest suspension, this one after he used a gay slur on his Twitter account and belittled coach Todd Haley. The Bengals signed him as insurance in case Cedric Benson got hurt and cashed in quickly. With Benson sidelined by a strained hip, Johnson ran for 107 yards in a win over Cleveland.

He has been little more than a supporting player the last three games.

Some raw feelings remain. Asked if he has patched things up with Haley, Johnson tersely said: “No.”