Top Takeaways From Bengal’s Tough Loss
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Jake Browning (6) heads to the locker room after the fourth quarter of the NFL 16 game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Cincinnati Bengals at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh on Saturday, Dec. 23, 2023. The Steelers won 34-11.
In what was supposed to be a game where Cincinnati would assert their place in the AFC playoff picture, they suffered a devastating 34-11 loss to the Steelers in Pittsburgh. The Bengals now stand at 8-7 and have fallen from the 6th seed to the 10th seed in the conference.
Here are our takeaways from the losing effort:
Getting the Bengals to the postseason is now an extremely tall task
Cincinnati already did not control its own destiny going into this afternoon’s game. With the loss, the Bengals more or less need a miracle to even squeak in.
The @HoustonTexans in the AFC playoff picture after the Steelers beat the Bengals 34-11: pic.twitter.com/Wm1SM9DUp5
— Mark Berman (@MarkBerman_) December 24, 2023
For starters, the Bengals have a gauntlet of a schedule to end the year, as they will face the Chiefs in KC and the Browns at home. Cincy also has matchup disadvantages over the Texans, who defeated the Bengals in Week 10, and the Steelers, who have swept the season series.
The teams that make the postseason also have something that Cincinnati does not currently have; a generally healthy roster. Joe Burrow and DJ Reader are out for the year, and Ja’Marr Chase and Cam Taylor-Britt are currently missing extended time. A Bengals squad that’s missing a huge amount of its biggest stars will severely struggle to make it to January. Even if they somehow get there, they will likely have an impossible road to the Lombardi against healthier and more consistent teams.
The injury holes on defense are starting to show
Any time you allow 34 points and 290 yards passing (on only 17 completions, mind you) to a team with a third string quarterback, it’s a sign that times are tough. It’s even tougher when that team is coming off three straight losses, two of which were to 2-10 teams.
After losing Cam Taylor-Britt earlier in the year, things became extremely difficult in the secondary. Having DJ Reader tear his quad only made things on D go from bad to worse.
The holes were exploited rather quickly, as Mason Rudolph immediately went to work and found George Pickens on the second Steelers offensive play of the game for an 86 yard catch and run TD.
George Pickens 86 YARDS TO THE HOUSE for his first TD since Week 8! 🔥
(via @SNFonNBC)
— Rotoworld Football (@rotoworld_fb) December 23, 2023
In the game, Pickens only had 4 receptions, but he made the most of them, as he had 195 yards and two touchdowns. Making this stat line even more absurd: one of his catches went for a one yard loss.
After losing three straight games, facing heavy organizational drama and having players get criticized for a lack of effort, Tomlin made the QB switch from Mitch Trubisky to Mason Rudolph, and the change paid off. They successfully exploited a weak secondary for chunk yardage plays to Pickens, and Najee Harris was able to gain 78 yards on 19 carries, one of which found paydirt.
The defense needs to find its way before the Bengals travel to Kansas City to face off against the Hall of Fame duo of Patrick Mahomes and Travis Swift.
Jake Browning is human, but he’s still currently the best man for the job
After maybe their single worst half of the entire year, there was a brief time where Cincinnati seemed to be on the verge of a comeback. Right after a scoreless opening possession of the third quarter by the Steelers, Browning found Tee Higgins for an 80 yard catch and run that was extremely similar to the one that Pickens had in the first quarter.
Higgins to the 🏠#ProBowlVote x Tee Higgins pic.twitter.com/M8aEenmWAm
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) December 23, 2023
However, for Jake Browning, this game will be defined by the fact that he threw three interceptions, which is never pretty. His first two picks were especially tough, as on both interception drives, the Bengals were deep in Pittsburgh territory. The turnovers led to, by far, the worst passer rating of Browning’s young NFL career.
Jake Browning’s passer rating today was 69.0 pic.twitter.com/59wEeQLqwS
— Alex Schubert (@alexschubes) December 24, 2023
When asked about his performance, Browning said “I made some dumb decisions with the ball in my hand and I need to do better.”
It’s tough to watch Browning struggle with INTs after several weeks of efficient play and limited turnovers. However, interceptions aside, Browning played a decent game. He threw for 335 yards without Ja’Marr Chase, which is impressive in its own right. He also continues to spread the ball around to the entire offense, as ten different offensive players logged at least one reception.
Of course, many fans will want to see the Bengals hit the panic button and turn to AJ McCarron, but Browning’s impressive (and in some ways, historic) performance over his first four starts cannot be ignored. He led the Bengals to an upset victory in Jacksonville in prime time, a commanding victory at home against Indy, and a thrilling come from behind victory over Minnesota. Browning has now been fully acclimated to Zac Taylor’s offense.
There is zero reason to pull the plug, especially before a do-or-die matchup on New Year’s Eve in Kansas City.
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