Bengals Takeaways: A Historically Porous Defense
Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor heads to the locker room after the fourth quarter of the NFL 16 game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Cincinnati Bengals at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh on Saturday, Dec. 23, 2023. The Steelers won 34-11.
The Bengals’ need to mash the panic button with an oversized mallet became urgent on Monday night after they lost a 38-33 matchup to the Washington Commanders. It was an offensive show in which Bengals punter Ryan Rehkow, Commanders punter Tress Way, and The Noise writer Alex Schubert had the same amount of punts (zero). With the loss, the Bengals are now 0-3 on the season and one of three winless teams remaining in the NFL (the Titans and Jaguars are the others).
What are our top takeaways from the primetime loss?
1. The front seven is the team’s biggest question mark
The Bengals defense was historically porous on Monday.
Since 1920, teams that have zero turnovers, zero punts, and at least 33 points scored have gone 112-0.
Now — 112-1. https://t.co/VsyobBZamc
— Taylor (@_TaylorCornell) September 24, 2024
In my game preview prior to Monday night’s game, I mentioned that Joe Burrow needs to take over the game and steal the show. Despite the loss, he was very good; he threw for 324 yards, 3 touchdowns, only took two sacks despite losing right tackle Trent Brown to a gruesome injury, and had a 127.5 passer rating.
Unfortunately, the Commanders’ offense, particularly Jayden Daniels, was simply better.
Jayden Daniels in primetime 🌟
21/23
254 YDS
40 Rush YDS
3 TOT TDCommanders got one 💎 pic.twitter.com/TQ0VU2qjGb
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) September 24, 2024
The majority of Cincinnati’s defensive struggles to contain Daniels can be attributed to the front seven, who gravely missed Sheldon Rankins and BJ Hill. One week after holding Patrick Mahomes to 151 passing yards, Lou Anarumo’s defense allowed Washington to score on every possession that didn’t end a half (five touchdowns and one field goal). 19 of Jayden Daniels’ 23 passes were within 15 yards of the line of scrimmage, and he completed all 19 of them.
Perhaps even more crucial to Washington’s success was Cincinnati’s inability to stop the Commanders on fourth and short, as they converted on all three attempts. Those fourth down conversions led to a 17 point swing in Washington’s favor, as they led to a Brian Robinson touchdown in the first quarter, and a field goal and a game-sealing touchdown to Terry McLaurin.
2. Andrei Iosivas is the clear cut WR3
For all the pessimism that Bengals fans are feeling after a tough Monday night loss, a sign for optimism has been provided. Andrei Iosivas is setting himself apart from the rest of the pack as the go-to third option in the passing offense.
Despite WR2 Tee Higgins returning to action, Yoshi was the second leading receiver on the night for the Bengals, totaling 5 receptions for 52 yards and the aforementioned touchdown that put Cincinnati within one score of the Commanders.
The Princeton product has a deep background as an athlete, as he was a heptathlete in his college days, and he put that athleticism on full display last night. Three of his five receptions were for a first down, and the final of the three receptions was a toe tap catch on the sideline that was reminiscent of his first touchdown last week against Kansas City. One of his two other receptions had him using brute strength at the goal line to find paydirt.
Burrow to Andrei Iosivas makes it a one-possession game!
📺: #WASvsCIN on ABC
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus and ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/6swvaDe7jt— NFL (@NFL) September 24, 2024
3. The Bengals need to regain the NFL’s respect
Prior to Monday night’s matchup with Washington, Cam Taylor-Britt once again made headlines for talking smack about the opponent.
“They move guys around here and there, but (they) just keep it real simple for him,” Taylor-Britt said regarding Jayden Daniels. “I heard his pass percentage is very high, but he’s only throwing short routes. Some intermediate stuff, quick throws.”
The simple offense was effective for Washington, as the Bengals’ defense had no answer for Jayden Daniels, who completed all 19 of his passes within 15 yards of the line of scrimmage. His completion percentage of 91.2% was the highest ever for a rookie in a game with a minimum of 20 attempts.
“Yes, I can eat my words, most definitely,” Taylor-Britt said after the game. “We did take an L today.”
Despite the 0-3 start, the Bengals are still a very talented team on paper. However, acting like a talented team instead of acting like a team who desperately needs to simply stop talking, compete, and win has led them to the very point that they are.
It’s hard to fathom that next week’s game with the hapless Carolina Panthers has become a must-win, but it has unfortunately reached that point. They will face a team with longtime Cincinnati quarterback Andy Dalton on the opposite sideline. The Bengals, who are still a talented team on paper, are instead a winless team, and the sense of urgency has reached a breaking point. Next week, the matchup in Charlotte will determine whether the Bengals can either begin the path to redeeming themselves, or if they’ll completely lose the respect that they worked so hard to gain over the last few seasons.
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