CINCINNATI — Bengals coach Zac Taylor dismissed the notion that Sunday's 16-10 loss to the Steelers could be pinned on running back Joe Mixon.
Mixon was held to just 16 yards on eight carries. The lack of production came in the team's third straight defeat and first game with quarterback Jake Browning playing in place of the injured Joe Burrow, who is out for the season with a torn ligament in his right wrist.
Taylor defended his veteran running back after he was asked about his confidence level in Mixon. «This has nothing to do with Joe Mixon,» Taylor said. «This is the entirety of the unit coming together. »Don't make this about one person.
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 finished with -16 rush yards over expectation, per NFL Next Gen Stats, his second-worst total in that category this season.