PITTSBURGH — This is what a winning locker room sounds like.
Following their 19-17 win over the Steelers, the Bengals’ locker room was loud, players were hugging, music was playing and Zac Taylor made a point to personally congratulate everyone who played a role in the team’s five-game winning streak that has kept their playoff hopes alive with one day remaining in the 2024 regular season.
Silence had become part of the Bengals’ postgame locker room after their 4-8 start. But for a fifth straight game, silence was replaced by noise, lots of noise, and a belief that this team can go on a run if they are able to secure the AFC’s seventh and final playoff spot, which will be theirs if the Jets beat the Dolphins and the Chiefs are victorious in their matchup Sunday against Denver.
“They’re capable of everything,” Taylor told CBS Sports when asked about his team’s possible playoff prospects. “They’re not going to want us in this tournament. I promise you.”
The Bengals’ turnaround is a credit to the culture Taylor has built since arriving in Cincinnati in 2019. The Bengals had every opportunity to mail it in after a 44-38 loss to the Steelers in Week 11 that at the time appeared to be the knockout punch. Instead, the Bengals continued to stay the course, and the result was an improbable winning streak that was capped off by two wins over teams (the Steelers and Broncos) currently ahead of them in the AFC standings.
“It says a lot,” Taylor said when asked what the winning streak says about the Bengals’ culture. “We work really hard on that. We focus on bringing in the right guys that when the times are the toughest they’re going to respond the right way. That’s coaches, that’s players. That’s all we saw from this team when it got really tough. So I’m really proud of how this team has stuck together, how everyone has given their best, and we were able to win five in a row, and we’ll see what happens.”
It also helps that the Bengals have arguably the best quarterback in the NFL in Joe Burrow, who will win his first passing title this season and is also in position to be the league leader in touchdown passes. Burrow has been aided by the league’s top receiver duo in Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and tight end Mike Gesicki, who caught 18 passes during the Bengals’ last two games.
“That guy was so valuable for us all year,” Burrow said of Gesicki postgame, “and a guy that, in my opinion, we need to bring back.”
Cincinnati’s defense was historically bad during the season’s first 12 games. And while no one is confusing them with the ’85 Bears now, the Bengals’ defense got better and played a considerable role in the team’s winning streak. Cincinnati’s defense got back to creating turnovers, with Trey Hendrickson (who had 3.5 sacks vs. Pittsburgh) playing at a level that should earn him Defensive Player of the Year consideration.
The Bengals’ young defensive backfield also showed considerable growth down the stretch, especially rookie fifth-pick Josh Newton, who stepped into the starting lineup when injuries decimated the group. Newton was part of a backfield that held Steelers receiver George Pickens to one catch on Saturday night.
“The main thing is just being able to learn from some of the vets in the locker room,” Newton told CBS Sports when asked about his growth this season. “They stay on us hard about details, execution and stuff like that. When you get led the right way, it helps.”
One of those leaders is veteran cornerback Mike Hilton, who defeated his former team once again on Saturday night. Along with taking pride in beating his former employer, Hilton also takes pride in helping his young teammates learn the ropes, including Newton.
“Everybody’s taking advantage of their opportunities,” Hilton said. “(Newton is) a young guy, but he’s stepping into this role and he hasn’t missed a beat. He’s always asking questions, trying to stay ahead of the game. He’s a guy that could play for a long time.”
It would have been easy for the Bengals to play for next year after starting 4-8. Many teams (including this year’s Jets team) have folded in similar spots. But as bleak as things were then, the Bengals were never actually eliminated from anything, and as long as that remained the case, there was something to play for.
“We knew our season had been up and down,” Hilton said of the team’s mindset at 4-8. “As many as we lost, we could have won. Field goal there, field goal there, our record could have been way different. But that’s the nature of the business, and guys stepped up when they needed to today.”
Many of the Bengals’ stars came through against the Steelers (who should honestly relinquish their playoff spot to the Bengals after losing their fourth straight game), but so did several backups, like lineman Cody Ford and running back Khalil Herbert. Cincinnati’s offense also managed to preserve the win despite Higgins exiting early with an injury.
This year hasn’t been perfect, but the Bengals never let 2024 fall into the abyss. Because of that resilience, they’ll watch on Sunday hoping for results that will keep their season alive, at least for another week.
Taylor said that he and his coaching staff will immediately begin preparations for a possible playoff matchup with the Bills, who will play host to whomever gets the No. 7 seed. The Bengals won a playoff game in Buffalo two years ago, and they’ll have their sights on repeating history if given the opportunity to do so now.
“We know the talent that we have. We’ve been in those spots before,” Burrow said about his team’s prospects if Cincinnati gets the AFC’s final playoff spot. “I know that if we can get in, we can make some noise with the players and the coaches that we have in this building. Just have to hope for some help tomorrow.”
