3 things we learned from the Bengals’ painful loss to the Chargers

So close yet again.

It seems we say this every week, but the Cincinnati Bengals (4-7) are really running out of time now.

They fell behind big to the Los Angeles Chargers (7-3) but then stormed back and tied it up thanks to Joe Burrow, Tee Higgins, Ja’Marr Chase, and the defense actually doing its job. But then that same defense fell apart on the Chargers’ final drive.

So what did we learn from the heartbreaking loss?

Evan McPherson is a mess

The warm feeling from his rookie season is gone. He is missing more than his share of long field goals, and it’s costing the Bengals games. Whatever is wrong with him, whether it’s mental or physical, the time to be patient has passed.

Anyone is an upgrade over Cam Taylor-Britt

Josh Newton came in, and the difference was palpable. Immediately, the Bengals’ secondary was making plays and frustrating Justin Herbert.

Hopefully Newton will continue to exceed expectations. But it was clear that just having a corner come in and not get burned consistently was a huge upgrade. Taylor-Britt simply cannot be handed his starting job back this season.

Zac Taylor is living in his own world

The back-to-back AFC Championship runs seem to have spoiled Cincinnati’s head coach. It’s as if he thinks everything is fine because that next magical run is just around the corner.

“I think we all watch the game and we can see it’s just coming down to one play in every single game,” the head coach told reporters after the game. “So why would you make a big wholesale change? That to me is just panic.”

Do the players see it the same way? It’s unclear.

While Taylor is optimistic things will get fixed on their own, fans and players seem to be questioning why a team with Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, and Trey Hendrickson should be living on the edge of its seat every single game hoping a call goes its way instead of winning in convincing fashion.