"It's a hard pill to swallow," offensive tackle Orlando Brown Jr. said following the worst loss by point margin in Bengals history.
MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota − The severity and sting of losses is measured by many metrics, but all measurements of the Cincinnati Bengals' capitulation against the Minnesota Vikings pointed to it being one of the worst defeats in franchise history.
Maybe it didn't sting like the losses in the Super Bowl. It wasn't gut-wrenching and demoralizing like the 2023 AFC Championship loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. In terms of the margin of defeat, though, Sept. 21 was the worst Bengals loss ever. They fell to the Vikings, 48-10.
Cincinnati's offense produced little and gave away more, turning the ball over five times. Minnesota corner back Isaiah Rogers had a career day, returning a first-quarter interception 87 yards for a touchdown and later returning a fumble recovery 66 yards for a score.
Later, Rogers punched a ball out of Ja'Marr Chase's hands, resulting in a third turnover impacted by Rogers.
Rogers was just one component of what went wrong for Cincinnati, but the turnovers he and others created were the beginning and the end of the conversation for Bengals head coach Zac Taylor after the game.
"Turnovers. I don't know how clearly I can say it but five turnovers puts you in a horrible spot," Taylor said. "Four in the first half. Two for touchdowns. That's going to lead to a lot of historical issues."
The Bengals let the game get away for good late in the first half.
With quarterback Jake Browning leading Cincinnati on a drive that could have pulled the team to within one score from the 17-3 hole they were in, everything unraveled inside the two-minute warning. Due in large part to Bengals turnovers, the Vikings instead doubled up on the scoreboard in less than two minutes.
Rogers had his fumble return for a touchdown. After another Bengals fumble, Jordan Mason capped a quick drive with a touchdown run. Finally, after yet another Cincinnati fumble, the Vikings converted a franchise-record 62-yard field goal.
"We're driving. We're gonna get the ball after halftime," Browning said. "Cross the 50 and ended up having another turnover... Any time you turn the ball over that much, you're gonna get blown out and that's exactly what happened."
How do the Bengals move forward? '24-hour rule'
When considering all the things that went wrong for the Bengals leading to the lopsided, 38-point loss, it's tough to imagine the Bengals having enough time to remedy everything. A disciplined focus will be key to turning the page.
Bengals linebacker and captain Logan Wilson said he'd impose a 24-hour rule on himself to reflect from the game and try to learn from it before he moves on.
"Soak it up. Take it on the chin," Wilson said. "Learn from it. Move on to Denver (Sept. 29). It's one of the most lopsided losses I've ever been a part of and I'm gonna own my part and be better at what we need to do defensively."
Some might have an easier time than others moving on from the loss, though.
"It's a hard pill to swallow," offensive tackle Orlando Brown Jr. said.
'Don't let this game beat us twice'
The Bengals might have lost by a record margin of 38 points, but it was only one defeat.
The Bengals can leave the Sept. 21 performance in Minneapolis and move on with 2025. But if they let it linger, the loss could have a multiplying effect. As in it could cause more defeats if Cincinnati doesn't learn from it and get past what happened.
"This is one loss in 17 games," Taylor said. "Don't let this game beat us twice in terms of our preparation this week. The negativity exists. We put that on ourselves."
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: 'A hard pill to swallow.' What the Bengals said after lopsided loss to Vikings
Category: Football
