Bengals’ NFL executives try to lead the way after star surrender in LA, preempted by Chargers

In the final moments of another Bengals last-second soul-grinder Sunday night against the Chargers at SoFi Stadium with the score tied at 27:

Quarterback Joe Burrow and wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase almost hit on one of their patented 70-yard go-ahead go-balls.

Cornerback Mike Hilton nearly collected in a pick-six crossing Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert’s stunned face.

Kicker Evan McPherson nearly made two field goals on the same field, capping the best postseason performance ever by a rookie kicker in Super Bowl LVI.

None of that happened when it would have, and their sixth loss by seven points, 34-27, left the normally impenetrable Burrow shaking its head.

“Pretty self-explanatory,” when asked if this is his most frustrating season.

And yet, when they pulled into Paycor Stadium at 7, Monday to start their bye week, Burrow is the only quarterback in the NFL with more than 3,000 passing yards and 27 touchdown passes.

Chase, his soulmate running mate, continues to lead the race for the receiver’s triple crown as he upped his league-leading totals to 73 catches, 1,056 yards and two more touchdowns Sunday to give him a dozen.

Trey Hendrickson ballooned his NFL sack lead to 2.5 over Nick Bontito and Dexter Lawrence with a half of one to 11.5.

Still, their frozen faces from NBC tell you it really is a team game.

“It doesn’t matter how well I perform at the end of the day,” Chase said. “To put up all those numbers and lose, it’s not good.

“I still believe in the guys in this locker room. We’ve got to find a way to finish.”

The Chase is underway as they reconvene to prepare for the Dec. 1 game against the Steelers at Paycor Stadium.

“What I just keep telling the team is, ‘at some point this is going to help us. At some point we’re going to find some momentum and we’re going to go on a run. We’ve got to put ourselves in a good position , where we reflect back,” Taylor said.

“We never want to take a loss for granted, but it’s got to help us in some way. We’ve played some really good football teams and we’ve just got to find a way to finish it off. I’ll keep say it, and obviously we’re a game away every time I say it, but I still have confidence that we can get this done.”

They seemed to have learned Ja’Marr Chase and running back Chase Brown are one thing. They are one of two tandems on the same team that are in the top 19 in scrimmage yards, joining Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson and running back Aaron Jones.

Chase is the only receiver with 1,000 yards and Brown is coming off his career-best two games in 14 days, when he had 143 yards from scrimmage on 27 touches Sunday after his career-best day in the Nov. 3 win over the Raiders gave him 157 scrimmage yards on most Bengal touchdowns (32) in 15 years.

They also seemed to have learned something on defense. They found a player in fifth-rounder Josh Newton on his career-high 51 snaps at cornerback as he relieved Cam Taylor-Britt and then the injured DJ Turner and came up with two passes defensed and three tackles.

Newton’s promotion and Hilton’s resurgence to a bit more playing time seemed to infuse the defense in the second half. Rocketed by six Herbert 20-yard passes and 24 points in the first half, they didn’t allow any deep passes or a touchdown in the second half until the final 45 seconds. Hilton hauled in seven tackles (three for a loss) and threw that pass defense in.

Plus, they learned again that Hendrickson is one of the fiercest competitors you’ll ever meet on any field or in any office, as he raged against anyone he could find. And Bengals head coach Zac Taylor understood.

“It’s okay for guys to show emotion. It’s okay for guys to be frustrated. It doesn’t bother me,” Taylor said. “We just had to take a deep breath and we did and there was still confidence in the locker room. You had to see that because you saw in the second half the way those guys came out and played.”

The Hendrickson who had turned his famous switch did not rage at the knot of reporters that engulfed him after the fight. Instead, he politely explained what frustration does.

“I love Zac. He’s a great head coach,” Hendrickson said. “He has done a lot for me as a person. He plays with the same intensity. He inspires me.

“Everybody’s trying to calm me down. It’s the NFL. Everybody plays with an edge. Every boy should play with an edge. Turn that switch off.”

They are trying to find the contact that is almost done.

They’ve certainly rediscovered that it doesn’t take Burrow time to reconnect with a guy like Higgins, out the last three games with a quad injury. Fourth-and-two and down 27-20 with 18 minutes left in the game from the Chargers 42, the bomb ticked.

Higgins said the Chargers jumped on a slant in the first half and Burrow “gave me the sign.”

Touchdown behind the defense.

They also continue to learn that Burrow and Chase only have to have an idea of ​​what the other is doing and they can score.

When the Chargers blitzed on fourth-and-goal, leaving Chase alone on a rookie cornerback, it was a four-yard touchdown slant. When they tied it at 27, Burrow flagged Chase out of double coverage for a 17-yard touchdown as the offensive line gave him time to dance and direct traffic before taking a shot while throwing it.

“He gave me the thumbs up so I went left,” Chase said after he ran away from linebacker Daiyan Henley and his old high school buddy, cornerback Kristian Fulton. “Was I doubled over?”

Burrow: “They doubled him. Every time I was able to sit back there and kind of head where I wanted to go and he made a great play. I didn’t see what was happening, I was on the ground . But it sounds like a good play.”

They needed one more. It seems like they’ve been saying that all year.

“Keep throwing the ball,” Chase says, which seems to be the one thing that works.