Bengals’ Top Takeaways: A Flat Performance And An Inconsistent Defense
Syndication: The Enquirer
A game that was widely expected to be a defensive slugfest lived up to the hype, sort of, as the Pittsburgh Steelers topped the Cincinnati Bengals 16-10 on a rainy afternoon. Unfortunately despite the score the Bengals allowed Pittsburgh to top 400 yards for the first time in 58 games.
The Bengals have now dropped three straight and find their playoff hopes bleaker than ever, as their record now stands at 5-6. In a season where not much has gone right a very flat performance has put Cincinnati on the edge of a lost cause season. Here are our top takeaways from the game.
For better or worse, the Bengals’ defense was more of the same this week
In their first game in the post-Matt Canada era, Pittsburgh’s offense had themselves a day.
The Steelers finished with 421 yards of total offense today.
That’s their most in a game since Week 16 of 2018.
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) November 26, 2023
A big reason for that is the fact that Pittsburgh was able to exploit the Bengals’ weaknesses in the defense. One big weakness Cincinnati has had the entire year is their inability to cover tight ends. Pat Freiermuth, who had 57 yards on the entire season going into today, finally broke out with a whopping 120.
I think in this week’s players only meeting, Pat Freiermuth introduced himself to Kenny Picket.
— Bill Crawford (@dveBillCrawford) November 26, 2023
As of the Sunday night game, it was the most receiving yards any tight end had in the NFL in Week 12.
It was also a tough day for the Bengals’ run defense, who rank 4th from the bottom in rushing yards allowed. Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren combined for 28 carries, 148 yards, and one TD. Even with all the Steelers’ offensive production today, it was somehow their lone touchdown.
Two bright spots for the Bengals defense today were their first two selections of the 2023 NFL Draft. First round pick Myles Murphy, who has steadily improved as the year has gone on, showcased his progress with a sack on Kenny Pickett as the Steelers drove into the red zone with a great move around Steelers’ OT Broderick Jones.
Stab club rip combination from Myles Murphy on the sack. Extremely nice to see him string moves together like this. He's developing!pic.twitter.com/TCuhFEWa5G
— mike (@bengals_sans) November 26, 2023
Their second round pick, DJ Turner, had two passes defended in the game. He also had a massive fumble recovery after Jaylen Warren coughed up the ball and nobody on the Steelers seemed to get the memo.
Recovered by DJ Turner 👏#PITvsCIN | 📺 CBS pic.twitter.com/tNgkVZRLAe
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) November 26, 2023
Even with the bright spots, defensive consistency must improve if the Bengals don’t want the 2023 season to be a complete lost cause.
Jake Browning had his moments, both good and bad
In a game where the Bengals were looking for any sign of life from their interim starting QB, they got it in bits and pieces. In other instances, Browning was either slow or poor with his decision making.
The good moments came on passes with an amount of touch and precision that reminded Bengals fans of Joe Burrow. It reminded fans of his days at Washington where he was a consistent starter, and it gave fans a sense of relief that not all hope is lost for 2023. Use this pass to Trenton Irwin as an example.
JAKE SHIESTY! Browning channeling Burrow on that one 💪 #Bengals pic.twitter.com/Vc3n11Q9vQ
— Cincinnati 💔 (@CincyProblems) November 26, 2023
He also threw a ball to Ja’Marr Chase that might as well have had Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s picture on it, as it was an absolute dime.
JB to CHASE ‼️👀
Yes that’s JAKE BROWNING#RuleTheJungle pic.twitter.com/jF7OgQnqJy— WHO DEY est. 2000 (@dpainclain) November 26, 2023
However, the rough moments showed that, per expectations, the drop off from Joe Burrow to Jake Browning was going to be drastic. At times, he struggled with being pressured and was slow to make decisions. Not to mention, as the Bengals were driving to begin the second half, he made a crucial mistake on a pass attempt to Ja’Marr Chase.
Jake Browning makes his first GIGANTIC mistake of the day. An interception while targeting Ja'Marr Chase.
Trenton Thompson read it the whole way. Nice tackle by Chase. Huge momentum swing, as the Bengals had a shot to extend their 7-3 lead.
— James Rapien (@JamesRapien) November 26, 2023
He understood exactly that in his postgame press conference.
“Some ups, some downs. Definitely not my best game. Not up to my standard in how I would like to play,” Browning said, per the Enquirer’s Kelsey Conway.
Cincinnati must do a better job of establishing the run game
“We’ve got to do a better job of managing the drives as we go & put ourselves in a little bit more advantageous situations. If you can’t put yourself in situations where you call more runs & you’re not at second & long, you get more runs off.”
Those were the words from head coach Zac Taylor, whose offense was inconsistent under Jake Browning. Outside of a few runs from Jake Browning that totaled 9 yards, the entirety of the Bengals run game consisted of Joe Mixon getting 8 rushes for 16 yards.
Rushing today for Bengals RBs:
Joe Mixon: 8 carries, 16 yards, long of 4.
That's how life ends up exponentially more difficult for a backup QB in his NFL debut against the Steelers.
— Paul Dehner Jr. (@pauldehnerjr) November 26, 2023
Taylor also noted that an inability to get the run game going is “Life versus Pittsburgh” even though Pittsburgh is 21st in the NFL in rush yards allowed (1,302) and 23rd in opponents’ yards per carry (4.3). With a backup quarterback in for the remainder of the year, leaning into an established starter in Joe Mixon is a must.
Establishing the run game won’t get any easier next Monday night against Jacksonville, who has allowed the fourth fewest rush yards in the NFL (961).
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