T
he Cincinnati Bengals season is hanging on by a thread. Since losing star quarterback, Joe Burrow to injury in week two, the Bengals have struggled with consistency, dropping three straight games before acquiring Joe Flacco from the Cleveland Browns to hold the fort down in Burrow’s absence. And with a 3-5 record, the Bengals are still very much alive, but cannot afford for anything else to go wrong in their quest for a playoff spot.
But the Bengals’ issues stem far beyond their injuries or issues at quarterback. Defensively, the team has continued to struggle, ranked last in the NFL in multiple categories– including total defense, rushing defense and points allowed. In the team’s most recent game, another late game blunder by the defense spoiled what would have been a memorable win– allowing the New York Jets to score a last minute touchdown en route to a 39-38 win and their first win of the season. After the game, the team held a players-only meeting, hoping to provide motivation to a team that is in a very major slump.
The Meeting
Coming off of a gritty win over the Pittsburgh Steelers the week before, the Bengals went into the game against the Jets with a lot of motivation– facing the possibility of getting back to .500 and see their playoff chances improve despite not having Burrow. But instead of winning their second straight, the defense collapsed again– allowing the Jets to score 23 points in the final quarter to storm back and win. Because of the collapse, the players held a meeting, with defensive coordinator Al Golden commenting on it on Monday.
“I don’t know what was talked about — nor should I — but it does feel like the fact that was called is a sense of urgency there, as there should be,” Golden said. “Because we cannot do that to the offense and special teams again.”
Facing a Jets team that was 0-7 heading into the game, and the worst team in the league in several offensive categories, the Bengals defense instead let up 181 rushing yards in the final two quarters and when it came to the final touchdown, it was a trick play that saw the Jets give the ball to running back Breece Hall, who proceeded to throw a four-yard touchdown pass to rookie tight end, Mason Taylor. If the Bengals want to still be in playoff contention when Burrow returns, they will need to improve exponentially on defense.
What Can the Bengals Do?
Immediately after the loss to the Jets, head coach Zac Taylor commented on the defeat and said that while the Bengals have talent on the defensive side of the ball, it is about someone stepping up as the leader and carrying a sense of accountability. He added that it is about getting the details down and not letting the small things hinder the defenses’ production.
“There’s not wholesale changes to be made with that stuff,” Taylor said. “Just fundamentally, we got to be better. And that’s really at every level of the defense.”
Now sitting at 3-5 on the season, the Bengals will begin preparing for another home game against the Chicago Bears in week nine before going on their bye week in week 10. A win over the Bears puts the Bengals right back in position to make a run at an AFC North title– a division that has been relatively lackluster all season long. The Bengals and Bears will kick off at 1 p.m. (ET) on CBS.
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