Dexter Lawrence didn’t leave Pittsburgh sounding like a player crushed by one bad Sunday. He sounded like a veteran who knows exactly how fragile a 2-0 start can be.
After Cincinnati’s 30-27 loss to the Steelers, Lawrence pointed straight at the lesson in front of the Bengals: perfection was never the plan.
“I think it's a reminder to show y'all that we're not going to go undefeated,” Lawrence said, addressing reporters in the visitor locker room after the game.
He doubled down on that point a moment later.
“No year is gonna be perfect,” he added. “Our goal wasn’t to go undefeated.
So we’ll own this one. We'll come back next week and go out there and play.”
The performance itself made the message hard to miss. Lawrence, one of the team’s major offseason additions meant to help reshape a defense that had been among the league’s worst, was part of a unit that spent the first two weeks looking like a different group entirely. On Sunday, though, the Bengals were back to the version that struggled last season: missed tackles, busted coverages and receivers running free for easy touchdowns.
Pittsburgh, held to three points the week before, erupted for 411 yards and its highest point total since a 34-12 win over Cincinnati in Week 11 last year.
“It wasn't us,” Lawrence said. “We know we can't allow that; however it comes, however they try to do it. We made a lot of mistakes, and that's what kept the game close and then ultimately helped them win.
“A lot of what was going on was self-inflicted,” Lawrence added. “You watched the game.
You know what happened. I don't think it was anything special that they had going on.
We just didn't do well on our end.”
Even with the frustration of the loss, Lawrence said he still believes the group will respond the way it should. For him, that confidence comes from what he’s seen since arriving in Cincinnati in April.
“I know who we are, the men we have in here,” Lawrence said. “I have no doubt we gonna come to practice next week and be locked in and eliminate mistakes and correct the ones we made.”
Cincinnati, now 2-1, returns home Sunday to face the 2-1 Jacksonville Jaguars, who are coming off a 35-6 win over the New England Patriots.
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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 🡒]
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 🡒]