CINCINNATI -- Bengals coach Zac Taylor believed someone on the defense needed to step up as the New York Jets inched closer to a victory. That never happened in a 39-38 defeat Sunday at Paycor Stadium.
The Jets, winless through seven games under first-year coach Aaron Glenn, mounted a 15-point comeback in the fourth quarter. After the game, Taylor said the loss was "humbling" before calling out the team's defensive players in his postgame news conference.
"I think someone needs to step up and lead the group," Taylor said. "That's what I'm waiting to see -- someone to step up and lead the group and take some accountability over there and get this thing going the right way."
The Bengals (3-5) were on the cusp of getting back to .500 despite the injury to starting quarterback Joe Burrow. Behind veteran Joe Flacco and an imposing rushing attack, Cincinnati led by as many as 14 points with 10:21 remaining in the game. The Jets (1-7) were without quarterback Tyrod Taylor and star wide receiver Garrett Wilson, who were both ruled out before the game because of injuries.
But Cincinnati failed to find answers in the fourth quarter. New York scored touchdowns on its final three drives, including the winner with 1:54 left in the game when running back Breece Hall threw the ball to tight end Mason Taylor for a 4-yard touchdown pass. It added to the slew of unfavorable moments for Cincinnati's defense.
The Jets totaled 502 offensive yards for only the fifth time since 2000, according to ESPN Research. The last time that happened was against the Bengals in 2021, when New York was spearheaded by a career performance from backup quarterback Mike White. It was also the first time this century that the Jets have racked up that many yards and scored at least 35 points.
The loss left Taylor and the Bengals searching for answers.
"We never got a chance to break that game open like we felt we were capable of," Taylor said.
Defensive issues have been a problem for the Bengals dating to last season, when Burrow was an MVP finalist, but the team failed to make the playoffs. Cincinnati replaced defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo with Al Golden, who was previously an assistant during the team's run to the Super Bowl in the 2021 season. But just three of those starters from that loss to the Los Angeles Rams are still with the team -- defensive tackle B.J. Hill, defensive end Trey Hendrickson and linebacker Logan Wilson.
Hendrickson left Sunday's game after he aggravated a hip injury that forced him to miss a week. Wilson spent his third straight game as a reserve and has requested a trade after his diminished role. Hill, who was re-signed this offseason to a three-year, $33 million deal, took ownership for filling the void that Taylor referenced after the game.
"I just got to do more on my part," Hill told ESPN. "I got to bring along the guys each and every day."
Safety Geno Stone, who joined the team in 2023 as a free agent, echoed the sentiment of responsibility.
"I'm the oldest guy in the [defensive back] room, so I'll take on that role and make sure we're all right in the back end," Stone said. "But at the end of the day, as a whole defense, everyone has to step up and play better."
Over the years, Cincinnati has invested significant draft capital into its defense. Dating back to 2021, the Bengals have used 11 picks within the top-100 selections on defense.
Flacco, who is in his 18th NFL season, said having young players transform into leaders comes from a consistent work ethic and can be built over time.
"You can definitely learn how to become someone who comes in and works with intention, has detail and passion for what they do," Flacco said. "You can feed off that and learn yourself. And you can become the guy that other guys can look to."
But Sunday's loss left Cincinnati in search of those players and also trying to solve one other trend that has persisted. Since the start of last season, the Bengals have blown three second-half leads of 10 or more points and lost. Two of them were leads of 14 or more points, like the one Cincinnati had against the Jets. No team has more such losses in either category, according to ESPN Research.
After the game, Bengals star receiver Ja'Marr Chase said Sunday's game should have been closed out before the Jets could rally. And though Taylor was looking for leaders, Chase was left pondering a question about another lead that slipped away.
"That's a Zac question," he said. "Got to ask Zac that."