Cincinnati Bengals guard Dalton Risner (66) is introduced before a game against the Cleveland Browns in Cincinnati on Jan. 4. David Dermer / AP FILE
David Dermer
Dalton Risner poured over film from the Cincinnati Bengals’ loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers and was pleased with his performance until the play where his team needed him most.
The veteran right guard said there are no excuses for allowing the sack that caused Joe Burrow to fumble with the game on the line and the Bengals in field goal range.
Pittsburgh recovered to seal a 30-27 win Sunday, Sept. 28, at Acrisure Stadium, handing Cincinnati its first loss at 2-1. Now the Bengals seek to bounce back against the Jacksonville Jaguars (2-1) at home this week, and Risner is confident they “will be better.”
“I’m playing a lot of good football, but the last play of the game was not a good football play, and it resulted in me letting my teammates down,” Risner said Monday. “So, you put your head down, you go to work. You don’t listen to the noise, whether it’s good or whether it’s bad. There’s been a lot of good noise. There’s probably some bad noise I can imagine after me having that play yesterday. But you roll through it, and you keep working, … and we’ll find a way to continue to get this thing back on track. We’re 2-1 with a lot of opportunity in front of us.”
The Bengals will be without rookie Colbie Young this week after he injured his knee on his first play, filling in for Andrei Iosivas, who went on injured reserve with a torn thumb ligament. Safeties Bryan Cook and Kyle Dugger are also on watch this week after missing snaps because of injury Sunday, but Bengals coach Zac Taylor said timelines on both will be clearer Wednesday.
Cincinnati had other plays that proved costly Sunday, including a muffed punt, so it wasn’t all on Risner, but Burrow was looking to take a shot to the end zone and try to win the game before Derrick Harmon blew past Risner for the sack fumble.
It was the only time Burrow was sacked in a game where he was pressured seven times by an experienced Steelers pass rush.
“We got quarters and we’re throwing post to Tee, and so it’s a matchup we like, and our guys protected unbelievably the entire game,” Bengals coach Zac Taylor said. “So, I don’t pin that on those guys. It was just unfortunate it happened that way. 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, and unfortunately it turned out bad for us.”
Burrow was trying to get rid of the ball for an incompletion instead of a sack but the play happened too quickly.
Fairfield product Erick All Jr. had told media after the game that he had recovered the football, but Risner confirmed it was Sebastian Joseph-Day’s ball. Risner had tried to shoulder him away from the ball, but he recovered and was touched down.
All ran all the way from the end zone to try to get in the pile and did pull the ball out, but the play was already dead.
“Erick was like the last person on that pile, somehow managed to get in there and take it from a defensive tackle, and that’s just who he is,” Risner said. “I love that guy.”
Risner said his failed block was a humbling moment and one he will remember for a long time, but it was one of just two bad plays he’s had over the first three games.
Burrow praised the offensive line for keeping him clean most of the game, and Risner said the seventh-year quarterback was more concerned with how Risner was doing afterward, both mentally and physically. Risner is battling through soreness with his knee, which he had wrapped Monday.
“Joe’s not gonna get up there and talk about how I fell short on the last play, but he knows I did,” Risner said. “In fact, all Joe’s done is check on me. …He hasn’t mentioned it to me one time. I had to be the one that looked him in the eye, and I said, ‘Hey, man, just so you know like I felt like I let you down, and I’m gonna be better, and I’m not gonna let that happen.’ So I really hate talking about it because I feel like I don’t need sympathy.”
The Bengals had a lot of other positives to discuss regarding the offense Sunday, especially after Burrow completed his first 14 passes and finished with 282 yards and three touchdowns.
Pittsburgh’s front seven came into the game with a lot of attention because of how they, especially T.J. Watt and Cam Heyward, impact the ball at the line of scrimmage and apply pressure to opposing quarterbacks. Amarius Mims notably held Watt without a sack and he’s not even allowed a single pressure through three games.
“At the end, I want to win,” Mims said. “It didn’t happen, so I feel like that was just for no reason, in a sense, but like I said, going back to the drawing board, saying how can we fix the small mistakes, and we’ll be better next week.”