Cincinnati Bengals: 3 Reasons for loss vs. Steelers in Week 13

Revisiting the Cincinnati Bengals’ Week 13 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers to understand why they fell short in their eventual 23-20 defeat.

After a couple of wins put the Cincinnati Bengals squarely in the middle of the AFC playoff race at 5-6, the team had a beautiful opportunity to not only reach 6-6 and firmly entrench themselves in that race for the final stretch of the season, but to be able to do so against their hated rivals from Pittsburgh.

Cincinnati had a great start to the game, but despite a 17-0 lead, the same result ended up happening: Pittsburgh found a way to win in yet another vicious, brutal meeting between these AFC North teams.

Here’s why Cincinnati yet again ended a contest versus Pittsburgh with nothing but another dispiriting loss.

3. Injuries Pile Up

Nobody likes to hear the excuse of injuries used when explaining a loss, but it often ends up playing a much more crucial role than we like to give credit for. When it comes to the matchups between Cincinnati and Pittsburgh, that role becomes even more prevalent. Football is already an inherently tasking sport on the body, but these games have a tendency to be particularly brutal, and the viciousness expelled from both sides often makes these contests especially physical.

This game was a perfect encapsulation of that. Bodies were falling by the wayside on each team, but it although the most damaging injury occurred to their opponents (Ryan Shazier ended up apparently unable to move his legs for a time after a tackle gone wrong and had to have spinal surgery), Cincinnati had more their important players dropping out of the contest.

Adam Jones began the game with an interception, but in an ominous twist, he hurt his hamstring on the play. Though he would return to the field, the effects of the injury would eventually remove him from the contest permanently. Joe Mixon went down with injury after just 17 snaps, leaving Giovani Bernard to carry to running load by himself for much for the game. Biggest of all was Vontaze Burfict finding himself on the wrong end of a nasty hit for once; though it was later reported he was okay, it would end his time in the contest.

This made an already tough challenge nearly impossible to fulfill. Removing Jones took away the most experienced player from the Cincinnati secondary. Though Bernard ended up with a decent game on the ground, having Mixon available would’ve allowed Cincinnati the chance to try utilizing the run game in a more well-rounded fashion for the duration of the contest. Burfict, for all his faults, is the emotional engine of the Cincinnati defense and one of the most impactful linebackers in the entire league; having him unavailable for the stretch run of the game took away an invaluable presence from a group which would fail to stop the ensuing Pittsburgh comeback.

When healthy, these Bengals are already a team at a talent disadvantage to a team like Pittsburgh; plus, they already entered with some key pieces absent. To go on and have numerous important pieces drop out along the way as well made their hopes of winning even more faint.