We’re Seeing An All-Time Low For The Cincinnati Bengals’ Defense
Credit: Sam Greene via Imagn Images
It seems like just last week, I watched a young Russell Wilson completely dominate a game. Oh wait, that’s because it was just last week. You know, in 2024. The 36-year-young Wilson lit up the Cincinnati Bengals for 414 yards, the second-most of his career. Luckily, the Bengals scored 38 points and were able to get the win, right?
Come on, you know how this goes. The Wilson-led Pittsburgh Steelers hung a 44-spot on the boys in stripes for the win.
The Bengals are 2-4 this season when
scoring 33+ points.The rest of the #NFL is 52-1 in such games. pic.twitter.com/rIq15Lhuh4
— WTF Stats (@WTFstats) December 1, 2024
If your name isn’t Trey Hendrickson and you play or coach (looking at you, Lou Anarumo) on the defensive side of the ball in Cincinnati, I’ve just got one question: What would you say… you do here?
The final straw for me this past Sunday came with 1:44 remaining in the game. It was 3rd & 4, and the Bengals desperately needed the stop to keep the game alive. They were facing off against Justin Fields. I repeat, Justin Fields was in the game. But instead of forcing fourth down with the season on the line, they let Fields scamper seven yards for the first down. Game over.
If we’re keeping count now, this is easily the fifth game of the season that the defense has cost the Bengals so far through 12 games. And that’s being generous. Seven of the team’s eight losses have been by one possession. Unlike the Kansas City Chiefs, who find ways to win week in and week out, this dumpster fire defense finds a way to lose every time.
My hot take this season, a few weeks ago, was this is the best Bengals offense in team history. Not only do I now double down on that statement, I’m adding this: We’re easily watching the WORST defense in franchise history.
Just think of how great this offense is. The high-flying Bengals are averaging 27.9 points per game (tied for fifth in the NFL) and 356 yards per game (ninth). Their 41 touchdowns are tied for fourth. That’s awesome.
Their defense makes opponents look like their offense. They allow 28.3 points per game (tied for second-worst). They’re surrendering more yards than they’re generating (369 per game; sixth-worst). The Bengals have given up as many touchdowns as the offense (41) and are tied with the Carolina Panthers for the most in the NFL.
But it’s not just the big picture that makes the defense terrible. The Bengals’ have stepped down when the lights are brightest. The defense has allowed 13 of 19 fourth-down attempts. That’s bad, but even worse when you remember that teams mostly go for fourth down in game-changing situations. Cincinnati has allowed three or more touchdowns in eight games.
It’s a season concocted in hell. The Bengals are on the verge of scoring the most points in franchise history and allowing the most points in franchise history! Make it make sense!!
The two worst seasons in Bengals history, record-wise, were the 2002 season and 2019 season. The Bengals went 2-14 in both of these seasons. But at least the silver lining for those seasons was getting Carson Palmer in 2003 and Burrow in 2020.
What do the Bengals get after this year? The privilege of waving goodbye to Tee Higgins.
Let’s stack up the 2024 defense’s to the poorest-performing teams in franchise history, and, spoiler alert: It ain’t good.
Points allowed: On pace for 482 (worst)
Touchdowns allowed: 58 (worst)
Yards allowed: On pace for 6,276 (fifth-worst)
Passer rating allowed: 98.0 (third-worst)
Turnovers forced: On pace for 17 (tied third-worst)
Third-down Conversion Rate: 44.4% (fifth-worst)
Fourth-down Conversion Rate: 68.4% (second-worst)
Yards allowed per play: 5.66 (eighth-worst)
2024’s defense at least sinks to the level of those infamous 2002 and 2019 seasons, and even exceeds them. And it would only have taken losing one or two key players to be even worse! Hendrickson is leading the NFL in sacks right now. He has 11.5 sacks on a team that has 21 total. The next-best player has 2.0 (Sam Hubbard, Joseph Ossai). At least the 2002 defense had four players who had 5.0 sacks or more! In a similar vein, Cam-Taylor Britt has two interceptions on the season. No one else has more than one, and the 2024 team is on-track to have just 10 picks for the year.
The Bengals defense has forced 15 punts at home this season.
We’re heading into week 14.
— BThangs (@bengalsthangs) December 2, 2024
For the first time since Burrow came to town — including last season, when he was personally out for the season — the Bengals’ final games don’t mean much of anything. All of the headlines about Burrow being wasted during his prime, and it’s painfully true. When examining how truly awful this defense is, it might be even worse than the national media believes.
Because, hey, the Bengals don’t really need a great defense to get far with Burrow. Cincinnati got to the Super Bowl while allowing 351 yards and 22 points per game. That’s very minimal help, but it was all Burrow needed to get to a 10-7 record. These numbers are far from hard to attain, but Cincinnati couldn’t even hit that low bar. If the Bengals’ defense just had the slightest bit of grit, or some sign of having that dawg in them, they could be knocking on the door of another Super Bowl appearance. Unfortunately, they don’t even have that indoor house cat in them.
Up Next