The Bengals left Pittsburgh with a 30-27 loss on Sunday, and the ending was the familiar kind of frustration Cincinnati has dealt with too often in recent years. The offense put together a strong day, but the defense and special teams helped undo a shot at a 3-0 start.
Even in defeat, though, Amarius Mims kept flashing like a player on the rise. The 2024 first-round pick was back at right tackle and again did a strong job protecting Joe Burrow. After handling Bucs rookie first-rounder Rueben Bain Jr. in the opener and holding up in Houston in Week 2, Mims delivered another impressive performance in Pittsburgh.
That didn’t make Burrow’s late fumble any easier to swallow, but it also wasn’t on Mims. Up until the final pass protection breakdown, he and the rest of the line gave Burrow time, including against T.J. Watt.
Watt, the Steelers’ star edge rusher, was barely a factor in the matchup, and the numbers backed up what the eyes showed. One report on Mims’ pass protection said:
Amarius Mims allowed 0 pressures on 40 pass block snaps today vs. TJ Watt and the Steelers, per PFF initial charting.
If that holds, that will be zero pressures on 110+ pass block snaps to start the season vs elite rushers.
This is what an All-Pro RT looks like. https://t.co/Hki2udt0cK
- Gridiron Grading (@GridironGrading) September 27, 2026
Joe Goodberry also noted that, aside from a couple penalties, Mims looked strong throughout the game:
Mims vs Watt from Next Gen Stats
Other than a couple penalties, it looked like Mims was really good again when I focused on him. pic.twitter.com/sm6sOR42sx
- Goodberry (@JoeGoodberry) September 27, 2026
One of those penalties was the kind that hurts in the moment and lingers afterward. A simple alignment call, with Mims allegedly not on the line of scrimmage, erased a third-down conversion. The Bengals settled for a field goal on the drive, and it may have cost them points and possibly the game.
Paul Dehner Jr. described Mims’ reaction after the flag this way:
Amarius Mims was pissed talking to the official after that illegal formation call against him. Obviously didn't agree he was off the line.
It ends up stalling the drive because it wipes out a conversion and Bengals come up short on the next attempt.
- Paul Dehner Jr. (@pauldehnerjr) September 27, 2026
Still, the bigger picture is that Mims has become a bright spot for a team that has not always gotten the kind of impact it wanted from top draft picks. He was forced into action as a rookie after Trent Brown got hurt, and that was a steep introduction to the league.
There were fair questions over the last two seasons about whether Mims was the right pick, especially with so many needs on defense. But from the back half of the 2025 season to now, he has gone a long way toward answering them. The Bengals took him 18th overall out of Georgia, and he’s starting to look every bit the part.
The old concerns about limited college snaps and injury questions have faded into the background. At 6'8" and 350 pounds, Mims is built like a wall, and Pittsburgh’s pass rush had no real answer for him on Sunday.
He did get tagged for another false start later, though Orlando Brown Jr. jumped at the same time. Even with the two penalties, the trajectory is hard to miss. Mims looks like the kind of force Cincinnati needs up front, a massive, freakish athlete whose best football is starting to show up in plain view.
In Other News...
Bengals Draft Regret Suddenly Looks Even Worse After Burrow Hit
The Bengals entered the 2025 draft hoping Shemar Stewart would become a difference-maker off the edge, but the early return has only sharpened the spotlight on that decision. Selected 17th overall, Stewart had a minimal rookie impact and then did not play a defensive snap in Cincinnatis AFC North opener in his second season, a development that left the Bengals looking for answers from a pick they expected to help reshape the front.
Meanwhile, Derrick Harmon, the defensive tackle the Steelers took in that same range, was making his presence felt in the same game with a key strip sack. For Cincinnati, the comparison is hard to ignore because it goes beyond one play or one afternoon, touching the way the defense might have looked, the resources the team has tied up, and how much pain lingers when a first-round swing doesnt land the way the front office envisioned. [Read more 🡒]
Bengals Injury Concerns Suddenly Loom Larger After Steelers Loss
The Bengals left Pittsburgh with more than just a loss to process, and Zac Taylors postgame injury update added another layer to an already uneasy Sunday. Colbie Young looks likely to miss next weeks game against the Jaguars, while several other injured players remain in limbo as Cincinnati tries to sort out its roster heading into the next stretch.
Taylor also addressed defensive end Shemar Stewarts limited workload, tying it to his recent practice history, while Joe Burrow said he came out of the game without any new injuries. Burrows focus was on the missed chances against the Steelers, but the bigger question for Cincinnati now is how many moving parts will still be available when the Bengals try to bounce back. [Read more 🡒]
Dexter Lawrence Sends Clear Message After Bengals Defensive Letdown
Dexter Lawrence finally got on the board with his first sacks since joining the Bengals, a bright spot in a 30-27 loss to the Steelers that otherwise left Cincinnati searching for answers on defense. Even with the disappointment of the result, Lawrence pointed to the mistakes that helped tilt the game Pittsburghs way and framed the setback as something the group can learn from, not a sign of a bigger issue.
The Bengals are still 2-1 and have a quick chance to steady things when they meet the Jaguars next. For a defense that showed flashes but could not finish the job, the immediate challenge is turning Lawrences optimism into cleaner execution, especially against an opponent that will be watching for the same soft spots. [Read more 🡒]