Nov 16, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Flacco (16) looks to pass the ball as Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt (90) defends during the first half at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Zac Taylor Notes Steelers Score 'Not Indicative' of Historic 34-12 Blowout Loss

Originally posted on Cincinnati Bengals on SI
By Russell Heltman | Last updated Nov 16, 2025 4:38 PM ET

The Bengals made more rough history on Sunday in their seventh loss in the past eight games. The 34-12 result to Pittsburgh means Cincinnati has given up 27-plus points in nine straight games.

Our Jay Morrison noted that only the 2020 Chargers have posted an abysmal streak that long. Bengals head coach Zac Taylor had few answers after another loss on his ledger without Joe Burrow.

"November, December football," Taylor said about the loss. "They did it and they tackled better. They won the turnover battle, two to nothing. And that's the recipe for success. And I think ultimately, the score is not indicative of how the game played through the first three quarters, but it is what it is. They did the things you had to win, and so they got a chance to run away with it. And it was really frustrating, disappointing, because this is not what we expected on our end."

Cincinnati's season is basically over. There have been two teams in NFL history that started a season 3-7 and made the playoffs: The 2020 Commanders and the 2022 Jaguars. Both those teams won terrible divisions, but this year's AFC North isn't as bad as those divisions were.

The loss marks Cincinnati's 20th season with seven or more losses after 10 games. They'd have to win six of their final seven games to have any hope at a division title, something they haven't done since the 2022 season.

"We're working like crazy to make sure that this doesn't happen," Taylor declared, like he has multiple times following losses this season. "It happened today. It's disappointing. Our option is to come back tomorrow and keep fighting and find a way to get a win. And we got a red-hot team coming in here. And so that's what we're going to do. We're going to do everything we can to clean this up, correct the mistakes, get back to work, and fight another week and find a way to get a win.

Taylor will get plenty of heat for another black mark on his record, but there's only one common denominator for nearly 60 seasons without a Super Bowl victory: The Brown Family.

That's not changing anytime soon, as Cincinnati has essentially nailed the coffin of another lost season during Joe Burrow's prime.