Bengals News (11/25): New lows

Quick Hits: Boyd Takes Blame; Finley Struggles Again; Mixon Confounds Steelers Box; Webb Predicts Third-Down P.I. Call Wrong; Glenn Wants To Finish
Second on Sunday, he stood up in front of his locker and took the blame for the 16-10 loss when his fumble at the Steelers 8 after a huge 22-yard catch with 8:45 left in a 13-10 game proved to be the latest in another series of fourth quarter heartbreak during this dreadful 10-game-what-else-can-happen losing streak to the Steelers that began with Andy Dalton’s broken throwing thumb.

What Zac Taylor And The Bengals Said About The Steelers After Week 12
“Crushing. Guys fought tooth and nail until the last whistle, and for that not to go in our favor kills the guys in our locker room. We felt like we could win this game. We felt like that was the style of game it would be, to be quite frank, and that’s how it turned out. At the end of the day, we knew it would come down to a turnover battle, and we lost 2-1. That’s been the story of the year. We have yet to win the turnover battle. We were leading at halftime, and we didn’t get it done in the second half. It’s killer. You can’t win games in this league doing that. Ultimately, that’s what got us. So, that’s where we’re at.”

Bengals fall to the Steelers, 16-10.
Down 13-10, Finley hooked up with wide receiver Alex Erickson for a wide-open 30-yard play up the sidelines, running back Joe Mixon (79 yards on 18 carries) kept them breathing with two runs for 20 yards after right tackle Bobby Hart false started on first down once they got past midfield. Mixon was ridiculous. He racked up an amazing 11-yarder on a pitch that Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt sniffed out. But Mixon ran through his tackle with a great dance move.

Tyler Boyd's 62 receiving yards and a touchdown helped the Bengals take a 7-3 halftime lead over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
On the last play before the two-minute warning, rookie quarterback Ryan Finley, who had thrown for just 39 yards, uncorked the longest pass of his career, a 47-yarder on which Boyd made a wondrous one-handed, left-handed grab as he outboxed safety Terrell Edmunds with a move straight out of the NBA’s Eastern Conference finals.

Bengals make franchise history after hitting 0-11
In the 51 previous seasons of the franchise’s existence, things have never been this bad. Sunday’s 16-10 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers put the Bengals at 0-11, the worst start in Cincinnati’s history.

Steelers at Bengals score: Devlin Hodges replaces Mason Rudolph, rallies Pittsburgh to win over Cincinnati
The Steelers' 16-10 win over the Bengals on Sunday was not a thing of beauty. Pittsburgh trailed the winless Bengals, 7-3, following intermission, and they were forced to bench quarterback Mason Rudolph in favor of Devlin "Duck" Hodges. But despite their slow start, the Steelers rallied to notch their 10th straight win over their AFC North rival while improving to 6-5 on the season. In the process, Pittsburgh moved to the sixth spot in the AFC standings and would be in the playoffs if the postseason started today.

Shula reboot; Bengals off to worst start in franchise history.
“It’s defeating to lose,” Taylor said. “Period. I don’t care about the history or anything like that. If you’re a competitor, to lose is the worst feeling there is. You wouldn’t see a team compete like that to the last whistle if it doesn’t still hurt.”

Cincinnati Bengals: 7 Round 2020 Mock Draft
The Cincinnati Bengals have fully hit the reset button. The coaching staff has shifted towards evaluating their young players and the front office has hit the road to scout some of the top quarterback prospects the college ranks have to offer. It is time to look towards the draft.

Cincinnati Bengals off to worst start in history after loss to Steelers
It was right there. The Bengals had a chance to snap the losing streak at 10 Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers. They were driving toward a go-ahead touchdown when one of their best players, Tyler Boyd, fumbled. Pittsburgh recovered. The Bengals never mounted another serious drive.

Forget about Chase Young: QB is the Bengals’ only hope
The two viable options for the rebuilding Bengals are Ohio State pass rusher Chase Young or a quarterback. Taking Tua Tagavailoa’s recent season-ending hip injury into account, LSU’s Joe Burrow and Justin Herbert of Oregon look to be the top options at quarterback. In other words, there are legitimate quarterback options for the Bengals to choose from in 2020.

Around the league

What we learned from Sunday's Week 12 games
2. Brady's frustration with the Pats offense likely won't disappear after another lackluster outing in which he completed just 45.9 percent of 37 attempts for 190 yards with a TD. The Pats, without Mohamed Sanu or Phillip Dorsett, struggled to move the ball consistently. Rookie receiver N'Keal Harry did have a nice back-shoulder TD, and fellow first-year WR Jakobi Meyers (4/74) caught some key first downs, but the youngsters' growth remains a work in progress. The Patriots' three scoring drives all took advantage of Cowboys miscues: The TD drive went just 12 yards after a blocked punt; a field goal came after just three yards were gained following an INT; the final FG came on a 38-yard drive after the Pats got favorable field position following poor Cowboys punt-team execution. Despite the inconsistency, Brady's unit did just enough to get an ugly W.

Dwayne Haskins misses final snap to celebrate win
With two seconds left in the fourth quarter, right after Lions signal-caller Jeff Driskel threw his third and final interception of the day, Redskins quarterback Dwayne Haskins was supposed to be out on the field with his teammates, leading them into victory formation. Instead, he was taking a selfie with a fan, celebrating Washington's victory one play early.

Bucs' Vita Vea becomes heaviest to score in NFL history
From the Atlanta 1-yard line with 44 seconds remaining the first half, defensive tackle Vita Vea came into the game as an eligible receiver at fullback. The ensuing play didn't result in a Vea block or routine dumpoff to a receiver; no, this was a designed play-action fake with the 347-pound lineman as the intended target.

Sean Payton miffed by 'interpretation' of NFL's PI rule
Said scene: The Carolina Panthers and New Orleans Saints were tied at 31 with 2:26 left in the fourth quarter. Carolina had a third-and-3 on the Saints' 5-yard line. A field goal would've be nice, but a touchdown would've been lethal. Out of the shotgun, Kyle Allen took the snap, dropped back, looked right and then locked on Jarius Wright crossing from right to left. As Allen lofted a pass toward the left sideline intent on meeting Wright where he would be, the receiver was briefly grabbed by Saints defensive back Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, who left Curtis Samuel's hip for a brief second to bump Wright. The pass fell incomplete, no pass interference foul was called and Carolina was set to kick a field goal. Until Ron Rivera threw a challenge flag.

Frank Gore rushes by Barry Sanders for 3rd all-time
With a two-yard carry in the third quarter, Gore tied Sanders and stood at 45 yards on six carries for the game. He then lost a few yards before sprinting into third place unto himself.