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Missed opportunities ruined Cincinnati Bengals

By Jeff Wallner, The Sports Xchange
Cincinnati Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis gestures to the officials during the second quarter against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh on September 18, 2016. Photo by Archie Carpenter/UPI
1 of 3 | Cincinnati Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis gestures to the officials during the second quarter against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh on September 18, 2016. Photo by Archie Carpenter/UPI | License Photo

CINCINNATI -- The officiating in Sunday's game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Pittsburgh Steelers was a story within the story. But, it was several missed red-zone opportunities that eventually penned the final chapter in the Bengals' 24-16 loss at Pittsburgh.

The Bengals made three trips into the red zone, including a first-and-goal at the 1-yard line at one point, only to come away with three field goals.

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"Those third downs and red zone (opportunities) usually tell you the story in the NFL," said tackle Andrew Whitworth.

The Bengals converted only four of 16 third-down opportunities and were outrushed 124-46, making it very difficult to rally back from an early deficit on the road, especially against the Steelers, a team favored by many to reach the Super Bowl.

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Hindsight, of course, is effective in any instance. So, it's fair to question how differently Sunday's result might have been if the call on Tyler Boyd's late fumble had been overturned after replays indicated his knee was down, or if C.J. Uzomah's touchdown catch would have been awarded after it appeared his knee hit in bounds in the end zone, or if several blatant holds by Steelers defenders had been flagged by the officials.

In the Bengals' locker room following Sunday's game, there were few excuses being made. The consensus was that the officiating didn't help, but Cincinnati was its own worst enemy.

"We didn't play well enough early enough," said coach Marvin Lewis. "We did a good job hanging in the football game, but not having enough positives on first down and not converting the third downs."

Quarterback Andy Dalton was sacked just once on Sunday after being sacked seven times the previous week. He passed for 366 yards and a touchdown.

Defensively, the Bengals intercepted Ben Roethlisberger twice and held Antonio Brown to just four catches for 39 yards. But, they also allowed DeAngelo Williams to rush for 94 yards and gave up too many chunk plays downfield, including a 53-yard reception by Sammie Coates.

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For the second straight week, the Bengals showed grit on the road.

Grit was good enough to grab a one-point win in the season opener at the New York Jets but not good enough to defeat the AFC North rival Steelers at Heinz Field.

Within the next two weeks, the Bengals are expected to get tight end Tyler Eifert back from injury and linebacker Vontaze Burfict off suspension.

With back-to-back home games against the defending Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos and Miami Dolphins next week, the Bengals hope to take advantage of lessons learned in the previous two games.

The opportunity exists for the Bengals to start the season 3-1, which would put them in a good position one quarter of the way through the season.

"We knew that the beginning of the schedule was going to be a big challenge," Whitworth said. "We came into this game with an opportunity to steal one on the road. We slugged it out the whole game. We'll continue to grow each week."

In a sec

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--Cornerback Darqueze Dennard missed most of the preseason due to injury. But, he wasn't using that as an excuse for giving up two big passing plays in Sunday's loss at Pittsburgh. It was Dennard who had the primary coverage on Sammie Coates when Coates hauled in Ben Roethlisberger passes of 44 and 53 yards in a 24-16 loss.

"I take all the responsibility of the deep balls," Dennard told the Cincinnati Enquirer. "Those deep balls don't happen, it's a different ballgame. I take all the accountability of that."

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