Bengals’ first loss hurts so much worse because of outcomes completely out of their control, and how familiar it feels for Joe Burrow
The Cincinnati Bengals’ first loss of the 2026 regular season was also their first divisional loss, and that was just the start of their unfortunate Sunday in Week 3.
The Cincinnati Bengals’ first loss of the 2026 regular season was also their first divisional loss.
Cincinnati losing, 30-27, to the Pittsburgh Steelers puts the club in an 0-1 hole in AFC North play with five divisional games left on the schedule. The Steelers, subsequently, take the early lead in the division with a 2-1 overall record, and a 1-0 record in the division.
But that was just the start of the Bengals’ unfortunate Sunday.
Bengals’ loss to Steelers brings all AFC North teams to same record
Cincinnati was the only team in its division to lose in Week 3. Not only did Pittsburgh beat the Bengals, the Cleveland Browns took down the Carolina Panthers, and the Baltimore Ravens miraculously defeated the Dallas Cowboys in the final seconds of the NFL’s first game in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
The Browns and Ravens are each 2-1, matching Cincy and the Steelers.
Every team in the division is equal. Only the Bengals are reeling from a loss.
“All three phases had a chance win that game in the fourth quarter,” coach Zac Taylor said after the game. “Had a chance to score an offense, had a chance to get a stop on defense, had a chance to make some plays on special teams that we didn’t make. All three phases share that one.”
Taylor’s assessment may usually be a cliché, but it absolutely rings true with this game. The defense allowed 30 points and regressed dramatically from their promising two-week start. Special teams essentially committed to turnovers thanks to a roughing the punter penalty and muffing a punt return. The offense failed to score on its final two possessions, the latter resulting in Joe Burrow getting strip-sacked to end the game.
Burrow’s miscue was the final nail in the coffin, but the loss stings even more considering how he played leading up to that moment.
Joe Burrow has another great game wasted in the process
Burrow completed 28 of his 37 pass attempts for 282 yards and three touchdowns through the air. His third and final touchdown came on a clutch fourth and two conversion that gave the Bengals their final lead of the afternoon.
Even with the game losing fumble, Burrow’s total EPA ranked in the 94th percentile going back to 2020. Per SumerSports’ Syed Schemes, it’s the fifth time Burrow has been on the losing end of a game in which he produces a 90th+ percentile EPA outing. No other quarterback has more than two since Burrow entered the league. He also posted a career-best 95.4 QBR.
To no avail.
“We gotta be able to try to overcome that,” Burrow said of defensive and special teams woes. “That’s part of the game. Guys are gonna make mistakes. You gotta try to overcome it. It’s what great football teams do.”
Burrow has been the culprit of late-game errors, but none more than the blunders of those around him. Cincinnati has failed to capitalize on many great games from its star QB. Doing so while the rest of the division rises above .500 makes the AFC North all the more interesting after three weeks.
