Top Takeaways Following Cincinnati Bengals' 16-10 Loss to Pittsburgh Steelers

Cincinnati is 5-6 on the season. They've lost three-straight games.

CINCINNATI — The Bengals lost to the Steelers 16-10 on Sunday at Paycor Stadium. 

Cincinnati is 5-6 on the season following the loss. Here are thoughts on Jake Browning, the running game, Joe Burrow and other top takeaways:

Jake Browning's First Start

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Browning completed 19-of-26 passes for 217 yards, one touchdown and one interception. 

The Bengals would've taken those numbers going into the game. Heck, I'm sure fans would've too. 

The numbers were solid, but they didn't line up with the eye test. Browning was sacked four times and often held onto the ball too long. 

Couple that with the fact that he threw the interception in the red zone with the Bengals in field goal range and leading 7-3 in the third quarter and those numbers don't feel as good as they look. 

"Some ups, some downs. Definitely not my best game," Browning said. "Tried to keep fighting. Starting with the first drive, kind of getting settled in, I felt like there were times where I was settled in. I felt like there were other times where I needed to play better, but I think it was not up to my standard of how I would’ve liked to play.”

Browning also had multiple turnover worthy throws that the Steelers didn't catch. A few of them landed in Ja'Marr Chase's hands for big gains. Those were lucky plays and sometimes it's better to be lucky than good, but the 27-year-old has to be better moving forward. 

Joe Mixon and the Running Game

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The Bengals' running game was awful on Sunday. Joe Mixon ran for 16 yards on eight attempts. He was the only running back to touch the ball on offense. 

Let's start with the number of carries. There's no way the Bengals' running backs should've combined for 10 touches (eight carries, two receptions)

Going into the game, there were expectations that rookie Chase Brown would get a few touches. He didn't even play a snap on offense. 

Trayveon Williams was on the field for eight snaps. 

Their rushing attack has to find a way to be more productive, especially with Browning at quarterback. It's unfair to expect him to drop back 35 times, especially in a game that was close for most of the afternoon. 

Going into the game, I expected the running backs to get at least 20 touches combined. Part of the lack of volume has to do with the number of offensive snaps (43). 

“We just didn't have any opportunities. (Joe) Mixon had eight carries. We need more snaps, we need to get more first downs that give us more snaps," head coach Zac Taylor said. "That can be defensively getting them off the field a lot quicker so we get more possessions, but at the end of the day, I think the offense has got to find a way to generate more production, get points on the board, keep the defense off the field, and take some of the pressure off.”

Their rushing attack is going to have to be much better if the Bengals are going to win games without Burrow.

DJ Turner II and Other Bright Spots

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Turner battled with Dionate Johnson all game long. He gave up some plays, but also knocked the ball away twice in the end zone to prevent the Steelers wide receiver from scoring. 

Turner's speed, ball skills and sticky man-to-man coverage were on full display. Even when he got beat, his athleticism and speed stood out. 

The rookie finished with five tackles, two passes defensed and one fumble recovery. 

Myles Murphy also made an impact, finishing with three tackles (one for loss), one sack and one quarterback hit.

Overall, the defense gave up way too many explosive plays to a bad Steelers offense, but Turner and Murphy stood out. 

Rookie wide receiver Andrei Iosivas also had a 16-yard catch on third down to keep a drive alive. He was only targeted twice, but has made plays when called upon this season. 

Bottom Line

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The Bengals would've won on Sunday had Burrow been healthy. 

This team is quarterback dependent. Without him, the offense is going to be inconsistent at best. 

The Steelers defense is tough and it's reasonable to expect Browning and company to take a step forward against the Jaguars, but the cold reality of their situation appeared to set in following Sunday's loss. 

"I don’t know. It’s my first time feeling like this," Ja'Marr Chase said after the game. "So I really don’t know how it’s going to go.”

The Bengals' offense has to evolve if they're going to be successful over the next six weeks. Burrow is having surgery on Monday. He isn't coming back this season. 

How do they pivot and move forward without him? What changes and adjustments will they make ahead of their Week 13 matchup with the Jaguars? 

We won't get answers to those questions until they play Jacksonville on Monday Night Football

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