Zac Taylor defends Joe Mixon after RB rushes for 16 yards - ESPN

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. In the team's Week 9 win over Buffalo, Mixon rushed for 20 yards fewer than what the NFL Next Gen model projected for his carries.

Cincinnati's offense managed just one touchdown against the Steelers (7-4), who won their first game since firing offensive coordinator Matt Canada.

Browning was 19-of-26 passing for 227 yards, one touchdown and one interception in his first career NFL start. Mixon had two receptions for 44 yards in the loss.

Last week, Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan said consistency is something he'd like to see from the rushing attack.

«It's hard to continue to hand it off if you do it once or twice and there's nothing,» Callahan said last week. «But then you'll pop one for 10 or 12 yards. „So, consistency would be the biggest factor in that.“

Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said stopping