Zac Taylor Sends Strong Message to Joe Burrow & Locker Room as Bengals QB Confirms Injury Update After Steelers Loss

A must-win game turned into more like a must-forget season… The Bengals fell to the Steelers in a 44-38 shootout, dropping to a miserable 4-8 on the season. Five games remain, and unless Joe Burrow channels his inner Houdini, the playoffs are looking like a pipe dream. And speaking of Burrow, the guy limped off the field with a nasty gash after getting cleated on the very first play. When asked how he felt post-game, his answer? “We’ll know more on Tuesday.” Yikes. 

It’s frustrating because the offense is doing its job—almost too well. Scoring 30+ points and still losing? They’ve done it four times this season. To put that in perspective, the rest of the NFL is 79-3 in those situations. You’ve got to ask: How do you waste that kind of production? Zac Taylor has some thoughts, particularly about the tackling—or lack thereof.

Taylor didn’t mince words after the game. “I don’t question the effort,” he said, but quickly pointed out the obvious: “We just got to get guys on the ground.” Translation? The defense needs to stop handing out free yards like it’s Thanksgiving dinner because it’s Joe Burrow and Co. who are going empty-handed. Consistency is the name of the game, and Cincy’s defense hasn’t been invited to play.

For now, the Bengals are hanging by a thread. A thin one, for sure. Now, they are many who are saying their season’s gone. Fairs! But there’s hope still… A perfect run could keep them alive. However, with every missed tackle, every defensive breakdown, that thread is looking thinner. Five games left. So, is it time for a JB ‘Run it Back’ masterclass? As if it hasn’t been so, already…

Joe Burrow masterclass…in vain

It’s getting ridiculous, isn’t it? Joe Burrow is out here playing MVP-level football, yet the Bengals are 4-8. The loss against the Steelers was just another chapter in this frustrating saga. Burrow dropped dimes, created 31 points for his team, and even matched a Tom Brady stat. But not the good kind. Four high-scoring losses in a single season? That took Brady 23 years to accumulate. JB? He’s done it in 12 games. That’s not just bad luck—it’s historic futility. And it’s not on him…

You’d think scoring 38 points would be enough to win a football game. Not for these Bengals. Ah! The more we talk about that D, the less it feels good. As for JB… The guy has averaged 275 passing yards per game, with 30 TDs and just five picks this season. In NFL history, only six QBs have done that through 12 games. Five of them won MVP. The sixth? Burrow, the only one with a losing record.

And don’t expect Burrow to point fingers. When asked if he still has faith in his defense, he didn’t flinch: “I do, yeah. I know the work those guys put in. They work really hard all week to go and put their best foot forward.” Admirable, sure, but let’s call it what it is—blind loyalty. We know he isn’t going to openly belittle them, but that’s just shows how calm he is. Despite this defense allowing over 28 points per game, and no amount of hard work can excuse that.

Sadly, even if the Bengals somehow squeak into the playoffs, the Who Dey fears that the D-line might be their biggest stop sign to getting an SB ring. Burrow is the only reason the Bengals are remotely competitive, and he knows changes are overdue. “We haven’t been good enough. It starts with your division, and we haven’t won enough there.” No lies detected. The AFC North is eating the Bengals alive—they’re 2-9 in divisional play since last year. For Joe Burrow, it’s a fight to stay hopeful (in a redemption szn). For the rest of us, it’s a fight not to scream, “He deserves so much better!”