"You Can’t Shoot Yourself": Joe Burrow Shares Honest Message After Loss To Pittsburgh Steelers

Joe Burrow had one of his best games of the season while Cincinnati Bengals still left Pittsburgh with a loss. The quarterback threw three touchdown passes and kept his team close late, only for a fourth-quarter mistake to end the final push. After the 30-27 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, Burrow did not hide from what went wrong. He also made it clear that the Cincinnati Bengals must stop hurting themselves with penalties and other mistakes. At the same time, head coach Zac Taylor explained why the late turnover became such a key moment for Cincinnati.

Joe Burrow Takes Responsibility After A Costly Late Mistake

Cincinnati Bengals still had a chance to change the result in the final minutes. They got the ball back with more than two minutes left and needed a field goal to tie the game.

Instead, the Pittsburgh Steelers finally reached Burrow when Derrick Harmon broke through and forced a strip-sack with 53 seconds left. The fumble gave the Pittsburgh Steelers possession and ended Cincinnati's last serious chance.

Burrow was direct after the game.

“You can't shoot yourself in the foot like that. Guys got to take ownership of themselves,” Burrow told reporters, per ESPN's Mike Petraglia.

His numbers showed how well he had played before that moment. Burrow completed 28 of 37 passes for 282 yards and three touchdowns. He threw no interceptions and posted a 123.9 quarterback rating.

Joe Burrow:

“Guys got to take ownership of their roles, got to take ownership of themselves, and just be smart situational football players.”#Bengals pic.twitter.com/kemHwbw5Ao

— Chatterbox Sports (@CBoxSports) September 27, 2026

The Cincinnati Bengals also finished with 352 total net yards, their highest mark of the season. Their offensive line gave Burrow much better protection than it did against the Houston Texans in Week 2, as he was sacked only once.

Zac Taylor Points To More Bengals Mistakes Beyond The Fumble

Taylor did not put the entire loss on Burrow. The Cincinnati Bengals had chances on offense, defense and special teams, but failed to make enough plays when the game was there to win.

“In the end,” Taylor said, “All three phases had a chance to win that game in the fourth quarter.”

Taylor also explained that the Cincinnati Bengals were trying to reach the end zone instead of settling for a field goal when Burrow was hit. The decision showed that the team was still trying to win the game rather than simply force overtime.

The bigger issue was the mistakes that came before the final play. The Cincinnati Bengals had six penalties against the Pittsburgh Steelers and now have 25 penalties through three games.

Burrow said the penalties have been a “theme for a while.” He wants every player to take ownership instead of leaving the blame on one play.

That message was clear as the Cincinnati Bengals looked ahead. They are now 2-1 and return home next week to face the Jacksonville Jaguars on Oct. 4.