CINCINNATI (WKRC) — Zac Taylor did not see the Bengals’ 30-27 loss to the Steelers as a game decided by one final-minute fumble.
The Bengals coach said Monday that Cincinnati did enough well in Pittsburgh to win, particularly on offense, but failed in too many crucial moments — a fourth-quarter pattern that included a special teams penalty, a muffed punt, defensive breakdowns and an ultimately costly turnover.
“Collectively in the fourth quarter, we just didn’t get it done in any phase,” Taylor said. “It’s unfortunate that we didn’t get out of there with a win because we did some good things.”
Cincinnati led 27-24 after Joe Burrow’s fourth-down touchdown pass to Mike Gesicki early in the fourth quarter. But a roughing-the-punter penalty extended a Pittsburgh drive that ended in a touchdown, and a muffed punt later gave the Steelers a short field for the tying field goal.
Taylor said the Bengals’ defense responded well to the difficult field position created by the muffed punt, holding Pittsburgh to three points. But the earlier errors remained costly.
“They got some stops, and then we had a roughing the punter and a dropped punt,” Taylor said. “You would look back differently on the second half where they got the stop, they got us the ball back, and now we just need another stop.”
Pittsburgh later drove for the go-ahead field goal before Derrick Harmon forced Burrow’s fumble on Cincinnati’s final possession. The Bengals had reached Steelers territory and were attempting to move into position to win the game.
Taylor defended the decision to take a shot downfield rather than immediately play for a tying field goal.
“We got quarters and we’re throwing a post to Tee,” Taylor said. “It’s a matchup we like. And our guys protected unbelievably the entire game, so I don’t pin that on those guys.”
Taylor praised the offensive line for its performance against a Pittsburgh front led by T.J. Watt and Cam Heyward.
“I thought the guys up front gave us everything we wanted the entirety of the game,” Taylor said. “Really proud of how they played. Sometimes when you face a good defensive line, that’s what’s going to happen. They got good starters, they have great depth and they got us on one play there. Unfortunately, it turned out bad for us.”
Taylor said Burrow “played lights out” in completing 28 of 37 passes for 282 yards and three touchdowns.
“I thought he was outstanding,” Taylor said. “He saw it, and they tried to pressure him. He got it out of his hands in an unbelievably timely fashion.”
Taylor said the Bengals stayed in manageable down-and-distance situations for much of the game, allowing Burrow to use a broad portion of the playbook against one of the NFL’s deepest defensive lines.
“When you’re playing against a defense like that, you got to stay ahead of the sticks,” Taylor said. “I thought those guys did a good job.”
The Bengals did not always manage that situationally. Taylor pointed to two pre-snap issues that turned third-and-4 opportunities into third-and-9 situations. One involved difficulty hearing the quarterback’s clap signal, while the other was an illegal-formation penalty against Amarius Mims.
“It can’t happen,” Taylor said. “We showed it to our guys. I now have a better understanding of what happened there, not to excuse it.”
Taylor also took responsibility for a timeout issue after a kickoff.
“It was just my fault,” he said. “There’s no conversation that I need to have with somebody else when I make mistakes. So that was my fault.”
The coach said Cincinnati punted on fourth-and-2 near midfield because it expected to trap Pittsburgh deep in its own end. The Bengals did pin the Steelers at the 8-yard line but could not get the stop they needed on the ensuing drive.
“We had a ton of trust in our defense that we’re going to get the ball back in similar field position,” Taylor said. “That’s not how it worked out. You can’t always play the hindsight game.”
Taylor said the defensive review showed missed tackles and alignment issues that created difficult situations.
“There were some tackles we got to make, and some of it was just alignment fit that led to difficult tackles,” Taylor said. “We didn’t always make them. There were some good things that we did as well. Just unfortunately, those are the ones that show up in a loss sometimes. That led to some big plays.”
The loss also tested Cincinnati’s depth. Taylor said rookie receiver Colbie Young will miss this week after leaving the Steelers game on the opening play, though the team is still gathering information on the injury. Taylor said the Bengals will evaluate the status of other injured players Wednesday.
With Young out and Andrei Iosivas already sidelined, Taylor credited Dohnte Meyers and other players with handling expanded responsibilities on short notice.
“When Colbie goes out on the first play, you change every personnel on your sheet,” Taylor said. “I thought our guys handled it really well. The players are really smart. They’re adjusting.”
Taylor also praised rookie cornerback Tacario Davis, who has received significant early-season playing time. Davis has drawn penalties, Taylor said, but has the length, effort and coachability to improve.
“He’s three games into his career,” Taylor said. “He’s got room for improvement, but he’s got the right attitude about it. I wish they all came in at an All-Pro level, and that’s just not the reality of it.”
Taylor singled out several players for their effort, including Jordan Battle, who chased down a long run that was later erased by penalty, and Erick All, who fought through traffic in an attempt to recover the late muffed punt.
The Bengals are 2-1 entering Week 4. Taylor said the film showed a team capable of making winning plays, but one that must be more reliable when the game is in the balance.
“There’s things we absolutely have to clean up,” Taylor said. “There’s some things we’ll continue to build upon.”