The Cincinnati Bengals met their divisional rivals, the Pittsburgh Steelers at home, and their hopes of making it to the playoffs were crushed after a tough loss. Burrow has been absolutely balling out this season but for some odd reason, his team keeps losing. The head coach, Zac Taylor feels like there’s a lack of “accountability” in the locker room, and they are not playing as “one unit.”

The head coach took the podium after the game and was dejected at the state of affairs of the Bengals. If anything, they didn’t expect the 44-38 loss at home. The Cincy team is 1-5 at home now. But despite losing four of their last five games, Zac Taylor is confident that his team can do better. However, he didn’t flinch when called the locker room out for several reasons.

Zac Taylor’s honest admission after the loss

“It hasn’t gone our way. We got to take accountability for it, pick ourselves up, and go find a way to have a better performance this weekend,” Taylor said. How do you even pick yourself up when your quarterback throws for 309 yards and three touchdowns, but still loses? That is also an enigma for the Bengals head coach, who is committed to making amends in the next game.

“It’s something we work through. I do feel good about the preparation, but it hasn’t shown up on game day as much as it needs to. And we’ll keep working through it,” Taylor further added. The Bengals have now slipped to 4-8 and the biggest problem, per Taylor, is that the team still hasn’t found ways to win games.

The Bengals have lost three games in a row now and have given away at least 34 points in 6 of their 8 losses. Some of that blame also goes to their defense. Their defense ranks 23rd in the league, per FOX, and has allowed 355 yards on average in a game.

However, the Cincy head coach looks at this situation with a different lens. This season has shown him how many guys in the locker room have a “thick skin,” and can persevere through the horrible times. However, it’s to be noted that the Bengals headed into the game without some of their cornerstone pieces. And that might have contributed to their loss.

Left tackle Orland Brown Jr. wasn’t in the game due to issues with his fibula, punt returner Charlie Jones was out because of a groin injury, defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins didn’t play because of an illness, and linebacker Logan Wilson has been struggling with knee issues. While we’re talking about injuries, let’s check out what’s happening with Joe Burrow.

Joe Burrow scares the Cincy fans

The Bengals faced a serious injury scare when they saw Burrow limping heavily after the end of the game. Apparently, he was cleated by a Steelers player and there was supposedly some bleeding. It happened during the first play of the game and ESPNs Ben Baby gave more insights on the quarterback’s situation.

“Burrow had a very noticeable limp as he walked through the locker room after the defeat. He said he was cleated on his right leg on the first play of the game, which created a gash that caused significant bleeding. He will know more about how he feels physically on Tuesday,” Per Ben Baby of ESPN.

It’s not a mystery that Burrow is a stand-up guy and when it comes to his team, he takes risks. That’s the kind of leadership that has led to Zac Taylor trusting his QB1. Before exiting the game, Burrow threw three touchdowns and completed 28 of his 38 passes. Bengals prime receivers, Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and Andre Iosivas, each had a touchdown.

The Cincinnati team has an extended week before they play against the Dallas Cowboys in week 14. Hopefully, Burrow and the others heal in that time frame.