The Bengals aren’t interested in turning injuries into the excuse of the week after Sunday’s 22-17 loss to Jacksonville dropped them to 2-2 and into last place in the AFC North.
That message came through clearly from Zac Taylor, even as Cincinnati limped through the finish with only three healthy receivers and Ja’Marr Chase dealing with a concussion he suffered early in the game. The roster was clearly stretched thin, but Taylor didn’t want that to become the headline.
“Well, Ja’Marr's a big part of the plan, but again, they could have lost one of their better players, and they got to adjust. So I don't want that to be the story," Taylor said.
"That's what this league's about: winning or losing, and so there's no excuse, try to go out there and win. We came up a half yard short or whatever it was.
It's probably the way the guys put us in position to potentially win the game. We just came up a little short, but we got playmakers on this team.
"So whether we got two receivers in a game, I trust those guys to make plays. Joe (Burrow) obviously trusted them.
He gave them some balls and some one-on-one type coverage situations where he trusted them. Mike G(esicki) is playing outside receiver at points.
Like these guys just they just wanted to go in the game. They're doing whatever it takes to win."
Even with the injuries piling up on offense and defense, Taylor pointed to a defense that played well enough to keep Cincinnati in it. The Bengals were close again against a quality opponent, but close still counts as a loss, and the one-score moments continue to haunt them.
Taylor said the team has to clean up those situations and move on quickly, especially with a road trip to face the winless Miami Dolphins coming next. Cincinnati’s Week 5 matchup is its easiest on paper so far, but that doesn’t change the need to start stacking wins in a division that has already shaped up as one of the toughest in football.
“It’s disappointing that we came up short because we had our opportunities and we didn't fully take advantage of them until now we're two and two. We got to own that and bounce back next week,” Taylor said.
The Bengals will travel to Miami for a 1 p.m. ET kickoff next week.
In Other News...
Joe Burrow And Zac Taylor Suddenly Sound Far Apart On Bengals Offense
After the loss to Jacksonville, the Bengals came out with two noticeably different readings of where things stand on offense. Zac Taylor pointed to the effort level and the reality of injuries, trying to keep the message forward-looking, while Joe Burrow took a harder line on accountability and pushed back on any temptation to explain away the mistakes. Its the kind of split that matters in Cincinnati because the offense is built around Burrows standard, and his interceptions only sharpened the focus on how much cleaner the unit needs to be.
Taylor also made clear he wants more from the running game, which adds another layer to an offense already trying to steady itself before the Miami Dolphins come to town. The Bengals do not have the luxury of drifting into another sloppy afternoon, and the gap between the coachs optimism and the quarterbacks urgency leaves the bigger question hanging: can the group get aligned quickly enough to show the kind of response both men expect? [Read more 🡒]
Bengals Suddenly Have A Receiver Problem They Cant Ignore
The Bengals left their Week 4 game with a receiver depth chart that suddenly looks a lot thinner than anyone in Cincinnati would have expected. Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins both went down with injuries, and the options behind them are now down to Dohnte Meyers and Mitchell Tinsley, a recent pickup from the Texans' practice squad. For an offense built around having top-end playmakers on the outside, that is the kind of shortage that can force a front office to move quickly.
If the Bengals decide they need outside help, the free-agent market at receiver offers a few names to at least consider while they wait on the health of their starters. The bigger question is how aggressive they want to be, because this is no longer a luxury addition or a depth-only discussion. It is a roster issue with real urgency, and it will tell a lot about how Cincinnati views its chances of riding out the next stretch without sacrificing too much at the position. [Read more 🡒]
Bengals Waste A Huge Joe Burrow Night In Frustrating Loss
Joe Burrow turned in one of his biggest passing nights of the season, and it still wasnt enough to lift the Bengals at Paycor Stadium. Cincinnati fell 22-17 to the Jacksonville Jaguars in a game that had the feel of a missed opportunity from the start, with Burrow piling up 428 yards through the air while the offense struggled to find balance behind him.
The Bengals were also forced to keep going without Ja'Marr Chase after he left with a concussion, which only added to the strain on an offense already leaning heavily on Burrow. The run game never gave Cincinnati much help, and a critical fourth-quarter interception helped swing the night toward Jacksonville, leaving the Bengals to wonder how a performance that strong from their quarterback could still end in frustration. [Read more 🡒]