Good morning everyone. I hope your week started off on the right note. If not then look at it this way, it's a new day full of new opportunities. And if that doesn't work for you then think of it as another closer to the weekend. Either way the worst day of the week has passed.

On Sunday we all know that the Bengals five-game winning streak came to an end against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Even though it wasn't the outcome we all had hoped for there are some reasons why the Bengals Nation should keep their heads held up high.

One of the most significant things that the Bengals can walk away from this game with is knowing that they can compete with some of the toughest teams in the league. Pittsburgh has one of the best defenses in the league and one of the most dynamic offenses as well. Now some analysts around the league can start giving the Bengals the credit they deserve and stop with the "easy" schedule argument. For a majority of the game the Bengals played solid football, expect for the first quarter. That was just ugly in my opinion.

Another thing to walk away with is knowing that the Bengals defense was able to step-up in the second half even with the loss of cornerback Leon Hall. The Bengals were without their top cornerback and instead of them letting up in the pass defense Cincinnati still managed to do an adequate job at stopping Pittsburgh through the air. 

And finally, Andy Dalton demonstrated yet another step forward in his development. In going against one of the better defenses in the league Dalton still managed to pass for a couple of touchdowns despite completing only half of his passes and throwing two interceptions. Dalton didn't look spectacular, but at the same time he didn't look like a chicken running around with its head cut off. His performance was a respectable one.

Hopefully Sunday's loss will only be a hiccup for the Bengals and they will be able to get back on track against the Baltimore Ravens.

Alright here is what you may have missed or overlooked from Monday.

• Despite suffering a season-ending injury, Leon Hall and the coaching staff remain optimistic about the season and his injury.
• According to Marvin Lewis, A.J. Green "should be fine" after injuring his knee on his epic touchdown reception against Pittsburgh.
• Last week on our weekly podcast Matt Williamson of Scouts Inc. joined the show for an interview. 
• In a letter from NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell the NFL has set-up a legacy fund.
•  A lawyer for the Bengals called the proposed ticket tax a "misguided frolic."
• On Sunday in Cincinnati an established veteran quarterback faced-off against a rookie quarterback. And after the game Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was impressed with Bengals rookie quarterback Andy Dalton.
• Bengals linebacker DeQuin Evans has been placed on the practice squad injured list.
• Get caught up with the latest Monday Touchdown.
• Brandon Ghee was placed on the active 53-man roster in the wake of Leon Hall's season-ending injury.
• Even though it was only a small taste, Bengals running back Bernard Scott had his best game of the season against the Steelers. The highlights continued against Pittsburgh.
• The Bengals had several missed opportunities against the Steelers. And two of the biggest culprits who failed to come up big against Pittsburgh were Jerome Simpson and Andre Caldwell. Also the Bengals inability to stop the Steelers on third and long situations during the first half proved to be costly in the end.
• Some might say that the Bengals were outclassed by the Steelers, but that's not the case. The Bengals played a competitive match-up against one of the most hated teams in the league. The Bengals did an admirable job on Sunday. As a Bengals fan, it's nothing to be ashamed of.
•  Check out the night cap Twitter feeds after the Bengals 24-17 loss to the Steelers.