ZAC TAYLOR
Head coach
Was that all about the defense couldn't get a stop?
"No, it's as a team. They won the turnover battle. In these games, when it comes down to a single-score game, that often times can be it. So, we've got to find a way to create more turnovers, certainly. The turnovers that we got on offense — one is a tipped pick. It's really just them making a play. (Cameron) Heyward got his hands up, made a play. We had the strip sack. Joe (Burrow) is never going to see that coming from behind him, and then they had the one again coming from behind him and T.J. (Watt) got the ball out. But these games, that's what it comes down to. It was 3-1 in the turnover battle and when it was a one-score game, it's a simple as that. We've got to create more ways to create turnovers. I know guys were trying, I know guys were trying to rip it out, but we've got to find a way to do it."
How disappointing was the tackling today?
"I'm not going to say they gave up 44 (points) — you give up 37 points. You've just got to find ways to get stops. That starts with tackling. Credit to their offense. I thought they did a great job. I thought Arthur (Smith) had a great plan and they executed it, kept us off balance, kept themselves in really manageable second downs and that shows by the score."
Did you feel the effort was where it needed to be in the tackling situation?
"Yeah, I don't question the effort. We've just got to get guys on the ground. There were great examples at times of guys hitting and making tackles. But again, overall, the consistency of it wasn't good enough."
Do you feel like the message is still getting through from the coaching staff to the players on defense?
"I do, because you're seeing moments where they're getting us back in the game. It's in the second half — sometimes it's too little, too late. We're still having our opportunities there. Again, we've got good leadership on that side. Guys I trust, guys that it means a lot to them. At this point, we're counting on everybody to stick together and find a way to make some plays to get us some wins."
What kind of conversations are you having with Lou Anarumo on the sideline?
"Just trying to help where I can. What I'm seeing from their offense and things they may be looking for from our defense. Trying to give him any help, but again, those guys have prepared for many seasons and done a great job for us. So, when times are tough it doesn't mean you've got to change the whole thing on the fly. I've still got a lot of trust in those guys, and we've just got to figure out a way to get some stops."
They had 520 total yards and their 37 points were their most of the season. Jordan Battle got more reps at safety. Are there considerations for other moves with different players?
"Every single week we've been here, we're trying to put the right people in position to win the game."
What is the message to the team after a game like this?
"Stick together. Take accountability. We've got good people in the locker room. It's an emotional game, especially a divisional game like this, especially with where we're at in the season. I think it's normal for emotions to run high. But at the same time, we've just got to take accountability for anything we can and stick together and find a way to go find a win. We've just got to get ourselves some momentum. That's three games in a row now that have all been one-possession games. We haven't done enough to earn the win. It's a simple as that. It's nobody else's fault but our own. We haven't earned it. So now, there's still opportunity in front of us to get some momentum for ourselves. I don't know what the outlook is for the season, but I know that we're (playing) Monday Night Football at the Dallas Cowboys. I expect our guys to respond the right way and have a great week and get ready to go, and find a way to get on a winning streak instead of being on this three-game losing streak we've been on."
JOE BURROW
Quarterback
How are you feeling physically?
"It's always tough to tell after the game. We'll know more on Tuesday."
It looked like you were favoring your hand early on. What happened there?
"No. I got cleated on the first play of the game on my right leg. I had a little gash on that, but other than that, it's all good."
You talked about knowing more on Tuesday. Is that soreness, or is there a certain part of your body that is hurting more?
"The only one right now is the leg I got cleated on. Other than that, I feel good. Things pop up a couple days after the game that you don't really know about right now."
How do you feel about scoring 38 points against that defense?
"Not enough to win. Some good, some bad, just like every week. But not enough to win."
Why do you think the team has not played complementary football this season?
"We just haven't executed the way we've needed to."
Do you think it's something different every week, or do you see a common denominator?
"It's something different every week. Little things here and there."
Do you still have faith in the defense?
"I do. I know the work those guys put in. They work really hard all week to go and put their best foot forward. There have been some tough games, but there have been some good ones too."
Is that the most frustrating thing, that it's something different every week?
"I think every game is its own challenge and each week has been frustrating in its own way."
What was the most disappointing thing about this week?
"On offense, we had a couple false starts. I had two fumbles (and) a pick. Cam Heyward made a great play — he's a great player. (There is) nothing I would have done differently on that one. We've got to take care of the ball better. It starts with me. Some good and some bad."
Have you felt extra pressure to create and extend plays in a season like this one?
"I would say that. I've been really happy with my playmaking ability this year. Every game is its own challenge, and you quickly change your mindset into playmaking mode when maybe you would take a check-down or throw it to the running back quickly in some spots. But that's not where we're at."
Have you ever thrown off-platform better than you are now?
"I'm feeling good in that department. I work it hard every week. Thursday is my day to throw on the run. Thursday is a big work day for me and that's where I feel like I get the most done. I think I've taken a big step in that department this year."
On the strip-sacks, are those examples of you wanting to extend plays and holding on to the ball longer than you might otherwise?
"The first one, I would say I probably held onto it a little too long. I could have found the tight end early, especially in that point of the game. The second one, I felt like I was getting the ball out pretty quickly on that one. That guy made a good play."
How much of the pressure you feel is cumulative over the course of the season?
"I feel it. I feel the pressure on me to be great. That's part of playing quarterback in the NFL. I have to play to the absolute peak of my ability every week for us to go and win. Some games I've done that, some games I haven't. So, I'm just trying to be as consistent as I can for the team, try and take care of the ball better and go from there?"
Is it sustainable for you to feel like you have to play perfect every week?
"I feel like I can do anything."
Did they make any adjustments to take Chase Brown away after his touchdown?
"They started playing more single-high, I would say. It's tough to say without watching the tape. That's a good defense. They have really good players. They're going to make plays. They play their scheme to their strengths and they know the strengths of their players. Their strength is up front, so they try to make it tough on you to get it out quickly and try to make you hold onto it and let those guys get after you."
What's your message to the locker room after a loss like this?
"Try to get better. Whatever you put on tape is out there forever. Whether its effort, execution or playmaking ability, GM's and scouts go and look at the tape in the offseason when they're looking to go and get guys. They're not going to care what the score is, they're going to care how hard you played, how you execute and how many plays you make. For me, I'm going to keep trying to be as consistent as I can and put our team in good spots."
Is it time to look at the big picture?
"I'm going to keep plugging along day-to-day. There are still a lot of reps to improve your game and put great stuff on tape. That's what I'm focused on, keep trying to make plays, get the ball to my guys in space and let them go make plays."
Was the fourth-down play at the end of the half a turning point? They looked like they were in the neutral zone ...
"They were. That was a disappointing call. I have a lot of respect for that crew, but they missed that one."
How much does that impact the game?
"That was a big play in the game. There's about two minutes and 50 seconds left at that point. That's a first down for us, maybe we get points or maybe we don't. But they get the ball then go get three, and I don't think they do that if the call is correct in that situation. A lot more went wrong than that, but it was a big call in the game."
Are you conceding reality of not making the playoffs this year?
"Playoffs are the furthest thing from my mind. You never know what can happen, so I'll keep putting one foot in front of the other and try to be the best player I can be for the rest of the season, week in and week out."
Do you feel that given your record vs. AFC North teams, the structure of the team must change to compete in the division?
"I would say we need to change a lot of things this year. We haven't been good enough to win games, so it starts with your division. We have to do a better job."
On that fourth down, was there a play called?
"I'll die with that one. I don't know. We'll see."
As the franchise leader and cornerstone, how do you go about being involved in turning it around?
"You try to give your opinion in ways that you feel comes off the best. This is a tough season, and the cornerstones of this organization are going to be remembered by more than this season. We will be remembered by how we handle this. It's still an exciting opportunity to go out and play for this city and this team, week in and week out. That's something I don't take for granted, especially with my injury history. I've been on the sidelines and that's not a fun feeling. I love being out there with the guys for the city, the team, and the ownership. I love playing."
Is that what you want to learn about from the guys in the locker room?
"I think we'll learn a lot about who we have in the locker room. The guys we can count on going forward, and the guys we can't. The next six weeks will say a lot about who we can count on and who we can't."
Chase Brown has been giving you a lot in the running game ...
"He's really coming along, improving his game every single week. Pass game, run game, running hard, understanding his protection responsibilities. He's a guy that practices hard, plays hard, and a guy you can count on."
JA'MARR CHASE
Wide receiver
It seems like we ask this after every game, but was or is there anything particularly frustrating about losing today the way you did?
"The turnover battle. We've got to find a way to finish."
Do you feel like there's very little margin for error right now?
"We've had little margin for error (for a while)."
What is the reason for that this season in your view?
"I don't know. Ask the coaches. I don't know ... it's not my job."
This is the fourth time this season the Bengals have scored 33 points or more and lost. Is that hard to process?
"It's hard to process (that) we can't get a win right now."
Did you feel as an offense that you had to score every drive the way things are going right now?
"It's kind of our expectation now."
How hard is that to play like that on a game-in, game-out basis, knowing the offense doesn't have that much margin for error?
"We've got to find a way."
Are you surprised the defense has struggled the way it has?
"I don't know. They need to find a way (and) we need to find a way."
What's been the most challenging part of this season, given how much football you've played in your life, beside not winning?
"Just giving it your all and knowing it's not the outcome you're trying to get."
You had a chance to take the lead right before halftime and they called ...
"Bad call."
Do you think that kind of swung the game a little bit?
"It did."
Is there a feeling of, 'At some point, it has to swing our direction" this season?
"We can't hope it swings. We've got to take it. It's not going to work (otherwise)."
TEE HIGGINS
Wide receiver
The team has a 1-7 record in one-score games. What has been the common theme in your mind of what's gone wrong?
"I guess it's some of those turnovers at the end of the game. We can't have those. Yeah, we just can't have those turnovers."
We know there were mistakes on offense, but to play so well this season and see it unravel like this, how frustrating is it?
"It's frustrating, you know? But, we've got to figure it out and try to turn this thing around these last five games."
It's a team game. Is it hard to fathom how many times you've scored a lot of points but been unable to win?
"Yeah, but at the same time, the defense played amazing. They played good enough to where we could have won the game. We can't have those turnovers like we did on offense, or the outcome could probably be totally different. We just have to figure it out and get it going."
Pittsburgh has not given up a lot of points this year. If someone said to you that you would score 38 today, you would have thought it would have easily been a Bengals win, no?
"Yeah, for sure. (They're a) hell of a defense. (They) played a hell of a game today, and they made plays when they needed them."
You've said repeatedly this season that "we have to finish," when it hasn't happened for the most part. What can be the issue where the team can't finish games?
"I can't put my finger right on it. We've just got to come together as a team — as a unit — and figure it out, as a whole. That's what we're going to do. We've got a long week to prepare for next week on Monday night versus the Cowboys, and hopefully, we can figure it out this week and get it done."
MIKE HILTON
Cornerback
What was the biggest problem they gave you guys out there on defense today?
"They made their plays in critical times and we didn't. We didn't get off the field when we needed to, and they won the turnover margin."
Was the tackling, or lack of it rather, surprising to you?
"I think we tackled. They're pros, too — they're going to make people miss. But for the most part, I felt like we tackled well. They just made their plays."
Where do you guys go from here? Is this a matter of playing for pride from here on out?
"Yeah. We're still professionals. We've still got a job to do, so we've still got to get ready for Dallas on a Monday night. We know where we are record-wise, but anything can happen. We've just got to find a way to win."
Does this feel like this was the end of that hope?
"I wouldn't say the end of it. But it's definitely a lot more slim than it was before. We can't be mad at anybody but ourselves. We put ourselves in this hole and weren't able to dig ourselves out."
GERMAINE PRATT
Linebacker
Did you feel there were a lot of missed tackles today?
"Not that much, I don't think. They were just getting the ball out quick. (It was a) quick game in the screens. That's all it was."
Did you feel like you guys were out of position at all? Could that have been a factor?
"I'm just saying they were just gains (with) screens. They weren't really doing too much. They were just getting the ball out quick."
What was most disappointing to you about the defensive performance?
"We didn't win, so it's always disappointing. It doesn't matter about the defense. We lost."
Is it hard to swallow a loss when you give up over 500 yards of total offense?
"It was just screens, and when we went (into) zero, they just threw quick balls."
Why did they have so much success with those screens?
"The ball was out quick. That's all it was."
Was that an adjustment that could have been made?
"They threw it quick."
What about the effort level?
"I think everybody had (good) effort. We didn't quit. I didn't see (anybody) quit, so it wasn't an effort level (problem)."
You know what the expectations are, having been here a long time, including winning seasons. What do you have left at 4-8?
"Pride. You come to work. You've got to keep on fighting. This game is high and low. It's like life. You keep on getting knocked down, and you've got to get back up. It's life. Keep on working."
