The Bengals lost their first game without Joe Burrow, 16-10 to the Steelers. After Cincinnati pick up its sixth loss of the season, coach Zac Taylor defended running back Joe Mixon against criticism over a perceived failure to step up when his team needed him.
“This has nothing to do with Joe Mixon,” Taylor told reporters, via Ben Baby of ESPN.com. “This is the entirety of the unit coming together.”
Mixon had 16 rushing yards on eight carries for the day.
“Don’t make this about one person,” Taylor said. “It’s not like there were missed opportunities there from what I could see. He continues to run hard and he’s given us what we needed this season.”
Mixon also had 44 receiving yards on two catches.
Stopping Mixon was a focal point for Pittsburgh’s defense. And for good reason. With Burrow out and Jake Browning in, the Steelers could crowd the line of scrimmage and take away the running lanes. Which they clearly did.
That likely will continue in future weeks, unless and until Browning starts playing like Burrow was.
