Dre Kirkpatrick: Late Holding Penalty 'Trash,' Bengals Better Than Steelers

Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick had some things to get off his chest following his team's 28-21 defeat to the Pittsburgh Steelers at Paul Brown Stadium on Sunday.

Referees called Kirkpatrick for defensive holding on a 3rd-and-10 on the Steelers' 41-yard line. Instead of facing a fourth down after Ben Roethlisberger's incomplete pass, Pittsburgh had a fresh set of downs.

"Trash. I don't even care if they fine me," Kirkpatrick said of the penalty, per ESPN's Katherine Terrell. "I don't even care if they fine me. Trash. Trash call... C'mon, man. Critical situation, man. They gotta be right on with that."

Two plays after the holding call, Antonio Brown scored the game-winning touchdown on a 31-yard reception.

Kirkpatrick didn't think the result was reflective of the gap between the two teams, per Terrell: "We're better than them. They ain't better than us. Period. They ain't better than us; we're better than them. But they won, so my hat's off to them. I'm gonna be a team player... They went out there and they fought. They got the win; we got the loss."

Kirkpatrick's frustration is understandable after a close loss to a division rival, but he and his Bengals teammates only have themselves to blame after letting Pittsburgh drive the ball 77 yards in one minute, eight seconds to win the game.

In addition, the Steelers outgained the Bengals 481-275 while averaging 2.5 yards more per play. It's hard to look at those numbers and conclude Cincinnati was the better team.

The Bengals started the year 4-1, but Sunday could've represented a reality check. Their .435 strength-of-victory percentage is second-worst among the top six teams in the AFC, per ESPN.com.

Week 7 will offer a great barometer for Cincinnati. The team hits the road to take on the undefeated Kansas City Chiefs next Sunday night.