Cincinnati Bengals give too little, too late in 37-24 loss to Detroit Lions

CINCINNATI — The Cincinnati Bengals have collected their third straight loss after falling to the Detroit Lions 37-24 on Sunday in Paycor Stadium.

Cincinnati's offense attempted a second-half comeback, but all momentum was taken away when the Lions extended their lead on a safety against Bengals QB Jake Browning in the end zone.

Prior to that Cincinnati drive, Browning found Tee Higgins in the end zone, marking Higgins' second TD of the season.

Browning — who threw 26-of-40 for 251 yards, 3 touchdowns and 3 interceptions — got his second touchdown on a 64-yard pass to Ja'Marr Chase.

On Cincinnati's previous drive, they got their first TD on another impressive catch by Chase in the end zone. That touchdown marked Cincinnati's first since Week 3 against the Vikings.

Jared Goff — who threw 19-of-23 for 258 yards and 3 touchdowns — and the Lions found the end zone early, while Cincinnati was held to a 50-yard field goal in the first half. Goff found Sam LaPorta, Jahmyr Gibbs and Isaac TeSlaa for touchdowns.

The Gibbs touchdown came after Browning threw his third pick of the game.

Browning's first and second picks both came off of passes meant for Ja'Marr Chase.

Cincinnati native and Detroit running back David Montgomery also rushed for an 8-yard touchdown. Prior to his rushing TD, Montgomery — who played quarterback at Mount Healthy High School — threw a touchdown pass to Brock Wright on the drive following Browning's first pick.

While Cincinnati's offensive woes, specifically in the first half, stifled any chances, the Bengals' defense gave plenty of stops to capitalize on.

Early in the game, Cincinnati got a fumble recovery after Trey Hendrickson, who had two tackles and two sacks in the game, strip-sacked Goff.

Sunday's loss for Cincinnati marks the first time the Lions have beaten the Bengals since 1992.

After the loss, head coach Zac Taylor took ownership, saying he's the one who needs to keep the team out of danger.

“I’ve got to do better for this football team," Taylor said.

While recognizing that he and the Bengals offense need to do better, he also said he's "absolutely confident they can get this thing turned around.”

Browning denied Taylor's role in the loss, instead taking sole ownership and calling out his interceptions, saying he played "bad football."

"It hurts. There's nowhere to hide from it. It hurts," Browning said. "I did not play well enough to give our team a chance."

The Bengals next face the Green Bay Packers on the road Sunday at 4:25 p.m.