The Bengals lost to the Steelers 23-20 in overtime on Sunday afternoon.
We have two winners and three losers in this game, but it should be said that a big contributor to the loss was Clark Harris' injury, which was a big reason why the Bengals had an extra point blocked at the end of regulation and missed the potential game-winning field goal in overtime.
Winners
Bengals Defense
The entire Bengals defense makes our winners list this week, even after a loss. With the offensive side turning the ball over five times and giving up seven sacks, the defense was the only reason they had a chance to win late in the game.
They didn’t force a turnover, but did their jobs, holding the Steelers to just 75 rushing yards and under 200 passing yards. It’s tough to start a season with a loss, but the defense was a bright spot in a tough game.
Ja’Marr Chase
The second-year wide-out showed why he’s one of the best in the NFL. Even with a poor offensive performance from the Bengals, Chase finished with 129 yards on 10 receptions and recorded the game tying touchdown to send it to overtime with two seconds left in regulation.
Losers
Joe Burrow
Sunday’s matchup was probably Joe Burrow’s worst performance of his career so far. The Bengals quarterback looked rough in the first half, throwing three interceptions and adding another in the third quarter. On the bright side, he improved as the game went on, which is a good sign going forward. He played well late in the fourth quarter and in overtime, but it was too little, too late.
Zac Taylor
Overall, it didn’t seem like Taylor had a bad performance, but not challenging the Ja’Marr Chase goal line catch late in the fourth quarter is an inexcusable coaching error. It appeared they wanted to save timeouts, but burned one one play later. They ended up scoring again, but mistakes like that cannot happen, especially since it looked like it was a touchdown.
Bengals Offensive Line
It’s reasonable to say their performance could be attributed to it being their first game together, but the newly renovated Bengals offensive line played terribly against the Steelers, giving up seven sacks. There's still time to turn it around, but they struggled for most of Sunday's game.
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