CINCINNATI – Coach Zac Taylor and defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo weren’t afraid to take their share of blame for the Cincinnati Bengals’ three-game losing streak and a season they missed.

After a disappointing loss to the Steelers on Sunday, which Taylor said the team believed they could have won, he took responsibility for how the team performed during a four-win season.

“I’m not going to sit here and blame this on the players. As a head coach, you sit there and you have a record of 4-8,” Taylor said Monday. “You are a 4-8 head coach. And that starts with you. Getting the best out of everyone is my job.”

Anarumo also opened his session with reporters with a similar message following a 44-38 loss to Cincinnati’s AFC North rival.

“Of course it all starts and ends with me,” Anarumo said. “How we play is certainly my responsibility. I think the players did a fantastic job of preparing, training with energy and giving their best. I’m proud of the way we went about it.”

“We have to do a better job – I have to do a better job of making sure it comes out on Sundays.”

Cincinnati’s defense struggled throughout the season, negating outstanding performances from quarterback Joe Burrow and the offense. With the loss to Pittsburgh, Cincinnati became the first team in NFL history to lose four games in a season while scoring at least 33 points.

Many problems led to the Bengals’ inability Sunday to limit a Steelers offense that ranked 25th in the league in touchdowns per drive and 30th in red zone efficiency. Taylor said details were lacking and the attacks were inadequate. Anarumo tallied at least 12 missed tackles, an issue that has arisen over the course of the season. These issues contributed to 37 offensive points being allowed in the loss.

Anarumo repeatedly took responsibility for the defense’s ineffectiveness during his 20-minute session with reporters on Monday. It comes with the territory, he said.

“As NFL coaches, we all know what we signed up for,” Anarumo said when asked if this was the most pressure he has felt in his six-year tenure with the club. “And like I said, my concern is with our players and putting them in the best position to be successful on Sundays. That’s all I think about.”

Since Sunday’s loss and throughout the season, players have suggested that blame on the defensive coordinator is unwarranted. Second-year safety Jordan Battle, making his first start of the season against Pittsburgh (9-3), reiterated that point Monday.

“He will always blame himself,” Battle said. “In reality, it’s not Coach Lou’s fault. It’s about us all being one. We have to do our job when Coach Lou calls the game. And we can always salvage defeat with every decision we have.”

Battle said he felt the team put in great effort at practice, had a lot of energy and solid enthusiasm – all characteristics of a team that still played hard despite having a 3.7 percent chance of making the playoffs. In his postgame comments on Sunday, Burrow emphasized that the rest of this season will be about figuring out which players handle adversity well and should be part of the roster going forward.

Taylor and the majority of this coaching staff know the situation well. In 2019 and 2020, the Bengals won a total of six games before reaching the Super Bowl in 2021 and the AFC Championship Game in 2022.

Taylor referenced all of those experiences indirectly on Monday as the Bengals tried to plot their path forward.

“You all watched many times as I sat up here for six years and fought through a lot of adversity,” Taylor said. “I see what’s on the other side. You see the people you want to do it with. Right now, this is an opportunity to evaluate the people you want to continue doing it with.”

That process continues next week when the Bengals take on the Dallas Cowboys on “Monday Night Football,” a prime-time matchup that Taylor and the team enjoy.

“It’s a great opportunity,” Taylor said. “What more could you want? I think our guys will respond well to that.”