The Cincinnati Bengals faced another tough loss on Sunday, with their defense letting them down once again. The team is now likely to miss the playoffs for the second year in a row after falling 44-38 to Russell Wilson and the Pittsburgh Steelers. Joe Burrow threw for 309 yards and three touchdowns, but it wasn’t enough to secure a win for the Bengals (4-8).
Once again, the Bengals found themselves in a situation where they couldn’t do enough to win. Bengals center Ted Karras said, “We’re sitting here in December and (still) saying we didn’t do enough to win a game. There’s a thin margin for error in the NFL. This team needs to learn to find a way to win.”
Going into this season, Cincinnati had high hopes with a healthy Burrow, but the team struggled early on, losing their first three games and four of the first five due to injuries and costly mistakes at critical times.
Burrow is having one of his best seasons yet, with over 300 yards and three touchdowns in each of the last three games. However, the defense has struggled all season, allowing 34 or more points in six games, including four of the last five. The Bengals have allowed the most points against teams with a .500 or better record and have lost all of those games.
Bengals coach Zac Taylor emphasized the need for the defense to get more stops, saying, “That starts at tackling. I don’t question the effort. We just got to get guys on the ground. We have some good leadership on that side (of the ball). Still have a lot of trust in those guys.”
The defense had a good start in this game, with Cam Taylor-Britt intercepting a Wilson pass and returning it 51 yards for a touchdown to give Cincinnati the lead. However, defensive back Mike Hilton pointed out that while the Bengals started strong, they couldn’t finish the game, saying, “We started the game out hot, but it’s a four-quarter game. We didn’t finish.”
Wilson threw for a season-high 414 yards and three touchdowns, while Pittsburgh gained a total of 520 yards. Cincinnati managed to close the gap to 27-24 with a field goal in the third quarter, but Pittsburgh answered with another touchdown reception by Pat Freiermuth.
The Bengals were unable to capitalize on the Steelers’ first punt of the game with 12:50 remaining in the fourth quarter. It was the fourth time this season that the Bengals scored at least 33 points and still lost. Wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase said, “It’s hard to process. We can’t get a win right now.”
The Steelers won the turnover battle 3-1. With 11 minutes left, Burrow was stripped by Nick Herbig, and Payton Wilson returned the fumble 21 yards for a touchdown to make it 41-24. Burrow threw an interception and fumbled twice during the game.
Burrow acknowledged the need to protect the ball better, saying, “Need to take care of the ball better, that starts with me. I’ve been happy with my playmaking ability this year. Just trying to get better. That’s what I’m focused on.”
Despite the defense’s struggles, it was still a one-possession game with 2:39 remaining, but the Steelers recovered an onside kick and converted a third down to run out the clock. Burrow said, “This is a tough season.
We will be remembered by how we handle this. We’ll learn a lot about who we have in the locker room, the guys we can count on going forward and the guys that we can’t. We have to change a lot from this year. We haven’t been good enough.”
