In their first game without Joe Burrow, the Cincinnati Bengals flopped with the Pittsburgh Steelers in town, a 16-10 loss.
Cincinnati actually hit the halftime tunnel with a lead despite a miserable offensive showing thanks to winning the turnover battle. But that was it for the offense on the day.
New starting quarterback Jake Browning had the anticipated ups and downs throughout the contest, while the concerning showings for the defense continued with more explosive players surrendered.
Here’s a look at some of the stats, takeaways and details to know from right after the game went final, with a game against the Jaguars on a Monday night looming next.
Quick Hits
— Bengals defense let up an explosive play on the first snap of the game, something they’ve ranked near the bottom in all year. Whether it was a sign of things to come was a big point to watch.
— First offensive drive of the Jake Browning era was a disaster, with him holding the ball too long and taking a sack-fumble on third down.
— DJ Turner bailed out a miserable Logan Wilson drive in the first quarter by removing a fumble that was punched out by Zach Carter. Bengals need those younger guys to step up big while soaking up playing time the rest of the season.
— Less than 100 yards of offense for the Bengals by halftime, yet they had the lead. Winning the turnover battle in AFC North battles like this remains king.
— Jake Browning and Co. had two first downs on the opening drive of the second half after none over the entire first half. In the redzone, though, Browning threw a costly pick. It’s the sort of good and bad the team will have to grapple with for the rest of the season.
— Bengals defense let up third-down conversions of eight or more yards twice on a fourth-quarter drive that gave the Steelers three points, making it 13-7.
— Ja’Marr Chase had an amazing highlight grab.
— Neat game summation on a single play — fourth quarter, third-and-three attempt for the offense, the formation sends Drew Sample to help Jonah Williams block T.J. Watt. They get mixed up, Watt goes untouched to hit Browning for a sack.
Key Stat
421: Total yards for the Steelers, with Pittsburgh at one point averaging nearly five yards per carry and the defense unable to stop tight ends. It was a continuation of a season-long problem the Burrow-less offense wasn’t going to be able to compensate for in an AFC North battle.
Game Balls
CB DJ Turner: The rookie prevented multiple touchdowns on the day, an impressive performance while Cam Taylor-Britt was out.
WR Ja’Marr Chase: The man might just be the top wideout in football, with his stunning concentration and coordination on display during multiple impressive tipped-pass catches.
Top Takeaway
Rough ride remaining: It’s not going to look much better for the Bengals the rest of the way given the mediocre level of the competition on Sunday and how tough the rest of the schedule is. The offense needs to adapt to its new quarterback and take more risks with guys like running back Chase Brown and the defense has to experience a complete turnaround for this team to rally even a little.
