CINCINNATI (AP) — Just when Cincinnati Bengals fans thought this season couldn’t get worse, Ja’Marr Chase spat on Jalen Ramsey during the fourth quarter of Sunday’s 34-12 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers to provide the ugliest moment of a brutal year.

It was also another sign that the Bengals may be the league’s most undisciplined team.

Cincinnati dropped its third straight to fall to 3-7 in a game that included frequent missed tackles by the defense, a second-string opposing quarterback completing passes at will and Chase losing his composure.

The NFL announced Monday that the fifth-year wide receiver would be suspended without pay for one game.

“It’s incredibly difficult to believe when there’s adversity, when you’ve lost seven of your last eight games, that’s when the real work has come in. I probably had 12 conversations in my office this morning, because it’s the foundation of everything we got to build this thing on,” coach Zac Taylor said Monday.

Taylor said he discussed the spitting incident with Chase on Monday before the league announced the suspension. Taylor also defended his All-Pro receiver and said the moment did not reflect Chase’s entire body of work.

“Ja’Marr’s one of my favorite players. I love how this guy handles everything that he’s been a part of, so making one mistake doesn’t disregard everything this guy’s done that’s been positive for us,” Taylor said. “We’re not all perfect. We’re going to make a mistake here and there, but I stand by Ja’Marr. I know it’s an emotional situation. I know there’s a lot of things going on there that lead to things like that. We’ll just continue to move forward.”

According to Sportradar, the Bengals missed 17 tackles against the Steelers, the third time in the last five games that they had at least that many. It also was the ninth straight game in which Cincinnati allowed 27 points or more, equaling the 2020 Los Angeles Chargers and 1964 Denver Broncos for the longest in-season streak in league history.

Since tackling is a combination of technique and effort, Taylor is running out of things to say about a defense that ranks at the bottom of the league in most categories.

“I understand some of it looks bad. You can’t run from that. And the hard part was, there were some situations we were great on first and second down. We got them into the situations we wanted, you know, second-and-long, third-and-long, and then you just got to get a guy down in space. And we didn’t do a good enough job of that,” Taylor said.

The Bengals also continue to struggle in pass coverage. Mason Rudolph, who came in after Aaron Rodgers suffered a left wrist injury, was 11 for 11 for 110 yards and a touchdown on throws under 10 air yards.

Rudolph was only the third QB this season to be perfect on underneath throws with at least 10 attempts.

What’s working

Converting on third down. The Bengals are 23 of 48 on third down over the past four games, with the 47.9% conversion rate ranking third in the league over that span.

What needs help

Generating takeaways. The Bengals have not forced a turnover in three straight games.

Stock up

RB Chase Brown had 99 yards on 18 carries, including two of at least 10 yards. Of his 52 rushes in the past four games, 10 have gone for double-digit yards. He had only two carries for at least 10 yards the first six games.

Stock down

LB Barrett Carter had four missed tackles, according to Pro Football Focus, and allowed five receptions for 74 yards and a touchdown. One of the missed tackles came on a 31-yard reception by Dwayne Washington to set up a Steelers field goal that made it 10-6 at halftime.

Injuries

QB Joe Burrow (toe) could start participating in 11-on-11 drills on Wednesday. … Taylor said CB Cam Taylor-Britt is likely done for the season and is expected to have Lisfranc surgery on his left foot. … TE Cam Sample (oblique) is week to week and DE Trey Hendrickson (hip) is likely to miss a third straight game.

Key numbers

4 — Consecutive games in which the Bengals have given up at least 30 points, a franchise record.

33.4 — Average points per game allowed by Cincinnati, the most in the league since the 1966 New York Giants (35.8).

What’s next

The Bengals host AFC-East leading New England (9-2). The Patriots have won eight straight.