They led Cincinnati by 17-10 entering the fourth quarter but allowed 15 points in a 7-minute-30-second span.
On Sept. 20, the Cardinals led Cincinnati by 7 games and Houston by 8 1/2 with 13 games to play.
Fred Odwell led Cincinnati with nine home runs, while he had a .241 average and drove in 65 runs.
Esiason, 36, led Cincinnati to four first-half touchdowns, its best first half since he was the quarterback in 1990.
Cy Seymour led Cincinnati with a .313 batting average, while hitting a club high five home runs, and drove in 58 runners.
Klingler led Cincinnati to two rapid-fire touchdowns in the first quarter before leaving with a bruised hip.
White led Cincinnati with 18 points, and Eric Hicks had 14 points, 11 rebounds and 7 blocks.
Mitchell had a solid rookie season, leading Cincinnati with a .292 batting average with a team high 163 hits.
Nick Van Exel, who became the starter in the middle of the season, led Cincinnati in postseason scoring.
The Jaguars led Cincinnati last week by 24-0 at halftime and beat the Bengals, 24-11.
