CINCINNATI — The Bengals will play their third different quarterback of the season, with Ryan Finley getting the start against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday Night Football, coach Zac Taylor said Saturday.
Finley replaces Brandon Allen, who suffered a bone bruise in the Week 14 loss to the Dallas Cowboys.
Finley, a second-year player out of North Carolina State, took first-team reps the entire week while Allen did not practice.
“Just not ready to play,” Taylor said about Allen during a conference call. Finley spent most of the season as the team’s backup quarterback until starter Joe Burrow went down in Week 11 with a season-ending knee injury. Allen, who was the team’s emergency quarterback, was moved from the practice squad to the 53-man roster and bumped Finley on the depth chart.
Finley has come off the bench in four games this season. He has completed 10 of 19 passes for 75 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions. The 25-year-old started three games as a rookie in 2019, with the last one coming in a 16-10 loss to the Steelers.
The Bengals (2-10-1) are in the middle of a five-game losing streak and have not beaten Pittsburgh since 2015. Cincinnati has scored three offensive touchdowns since Week 12, the fewest in the NFL during that span.
Kevin Hogan, who was signed to the practice squad on Nov. 28, will be the backup quarterback for Monday’s game against Pittsburgh.
