To be frank, there is no defending the Cincinnati Bengals defense.
Cincy’s soul-crushing 44-38 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers at a chilly Paycor Stadium on Sunday effectively ended any faint playoff aspirations.
But how can a team score 99 points across three games – two of them against the #1 and #6 defenses in the league – and lose the lot? By conceding 113!
A recurring nightmare
The offense is on fire but the defense continues to undo all that good work. Yet again, missed tackles, poor positioning and communication breakdowns allowed a divisional rival to exploit every weakness.
The numbers are damning. Pro Football Focus logged 14 missed tackles, with Akeem Davis-Gaither and Geno Stone accounting for half of them – while Russell Wilson’s 414 passing yards were his second-most ever.
One play, with 1:54 left, summed up everything. Having seen Dange’Russ hurl it all over the yard, everyone knew dual-threat quarterback Justin Fields had been brought on to run it and ice the game. Everyone except the 11 guys in tiger stripes, it seems.
Guessing #Bengals D coaches just wanted to quit after this play. 3 players have contain. One at each level. 0 for 3. 😂 #Steelers pic.twitter.com/BswL1vq7IU
— David Todd (@DavidMTodd) December 2, 2024
Over the season, only Carolina has shipped more than Cincinnati’s 28.3 points per game. That makes their 27.9 points per game scored – currently the second most in franchise history – immaterial.
And this year, the team has lost four times when scoring at least 33 points, an NFL record. The rest of the league is 52-1.
In short, the defense is historically inept and killing this team.
Time for change
We have had the usual half-measures and sticking-plaster solutions. Now, a complete rebuild of the defense seems unavoidable.
Tough decisions, on and off the field, are needed. Player performance, development and acquisition must be thoroughly examined, as must coaching.
There are painful choices ahead. Free agents will be released and beloved but underperforming players like defensive end Sam Hubbard may be cut before nostalgia clouds judgement.
And what fate awaits defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo? Once deemed the ‘Mad Professor’ for befuddling Patrick Mahomes, his sixth year in Cincy will surely be his last, although no axes will fall yet.
That said, who can his eventual replacement build around? The franchise has used nine top 100 draft picks in three years on defense and not one has yielded a player of any calibre.
Do not fail us now
A familiar pessimism now lingers. We have seen this movie before and it stars an ownership notorious for inertia, penny-pinching and tolerating mediocrity.
But if they fail to make big, bold changes, the Bengals risk becoming the poster child for unfulfilled potential.
Because Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase – league leaders in passing/receiving yards and touchdowns – are not getting any younger and their talents are going to waste.
