Zac Taylor had a long injury list to sort through Monday after the Bengals’ 30-27 loss to the Steelers, and the early read is that Colbie Young is the one player most likely to miss time when Cincinnati turns its attention to Jacksonville.
Taylor said Young is the only player currently ruled out for this week, while the rest of the group will be monitored once the team gets back to work on Wednesday. Cincinnati had several players leave Sunday’s game, including Bryan Cook, Kyle Dugger, Jalen Davis and others who were shaken up during the contest but eventually returned, such as Demetrius Knight Jr.
B.J. Hill also sat out the entire game because of the Achilles issue he has been managing for several weeks.
"He's the only one right now at rule out for this week. Everybody else, we'll see where they're at on Wednesday. We'll gather more information," Taylor said.
Taylor also addressed Shemar Stewart’s absence against Pittsburgh after Stewart logged just five snaps in Week 2 while coming back from injury. The Bengals coach pointed to the depth of the defensive end group and said the team will keep working Stewart in as his return continues.
"We got a really good defensive end group, and all four of those guys played," Taylor noted. "Thought they played well.
There's going to be moments we get Shemar more involved. Yesterday just didn't work out that way.
He's still nine practices in. Really started practicing three weeks ago."
Joe Burrow, meanwhile, did not appear to come out of the game with any additional damage. He was sacked once and hit six times, but the Bengals are not dealing with a new Burrow injury coming off the defeat.
The loss stung in another way, too. Cincinnati had a chance to stand alone at the top of the AFC North and join a three-way tie for first in the AFC, but instead dropped into the pile of 2-1 teams that now includes every club in the division.
"It's disappointing. We want to be 3-0.
We put in a good week's work, had our opportunities," Taylor said. "I think anytime you lose a game like that where you had your opportunities -- some games you just go get your butt kicked and there's not much to say about it.
This one, we had our chances. Pittsburgh took advantage of theirs.
We didn't take advantage of ours."
Burrow echoed the need for cleaner football across the board.
"Yeah, we've got to be able to try to overcome that. That's part of the game.
Guys are going to make mistakes. Got to try to overcome it.
That's what great football teams do," Burrow said about the issues that happened in all three phases of the game. "We'll see.
I think we've got a chance to be great. We've got to improve it.
We've got to show it every day. Today we didn't."
Cincinnati now has Monday and Tuesday off before returning to practice Wednesday afternoon to begin its preparation for Jacksonville.
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 🡒]
Amarius Mims Passed A Huge Bengals Test Despite One Costly Mistake
Amarius Mims had the kind of game the Bengals have been waiting to see from their 2024 first-round pick. Against the Steelers, he held up well at right tackle and gave Joe Burrow a cleaner pocket than Cincinnati has often had this season, even with Pittsburgh sending elite pressure off the edge. For a young tackle still learning the NFL pace, the performance suggested he can already handle big moments against top pass rushers like T.J. Watt.
Of course, it was not a spotless afternoon. Mims had some penalties and a late pass protection breakdown, the sort of hiccup that can swing attention in a close divisional game, and Cincinnati fell 30-27 anyway. The bigger concern for the Bengals was not just one rookie mistake, but how the loss also featured problems on defense and special teams, leaving Mims' encouraging work as one of the few clear positives to come out of the day. [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 🡒]