The Cincinnati Bengals began November with one of their worst defensive performances against the Chicago Bears. They gave up 47 points and 576 yards of offense. Then they improved slightly against the Steelers the following week. The Steelers scored 34 points; however, 14 of those points were off turnovers returned for touchdowns.
The last two weeks, though, the Bengals’ defense has played better than it has all season. Against the Patriots, they held them to 26 points, 7 of which were off an interception. Then this week, they played their best defensive game of the season.
They forced the Ravens into five turnovers and held them to 14 points. Why has the Bengals’ defense seemingly taken a big step forward? Let’s take a look at it.
What Has Changed For the Bengals’ Defense?
The Bengals’ defense was one of the worst in league history through the first nine games of the season. They gave up at least 27 points in eight straight games and over 30 points in six of those. They lost three games in a row when the offense scored 33 or more points. Then they had their bye week, and something seemed to change during that time off.
One of the most significant changes over the last few weeks has been the play of the defensive line, particularly Myles Murphy and Joseph Ossai. Against both the Patriots and the Ravens, Murphy and Ossai played exceptionally well, consistently generating pressure on the quarterback throughout the game.
On the back end of the defense, the defensive backs are also playing much better. DJ Turner has been playing at an All-Pro level all season, but the rest of the defensive backfield has taken it up a notch.
Dax Hill has moved outside with Taylor-Britt hurt and is playing well. Geno Stone had his best game of the season against the Patriots, and Jordan Battle is playing better as well. The one weak spot in the defense remains the linebackers. They seem to be tackling better over the last few weeks, but even still, they are playing quite poorly.
Barrett Carter and Demetrius Knight have been inconsistent in coverage and ineffective in the run game, on top of it. If the Bengals want the defense to take another step forward, they need the linebackers to start playing better, like the rest of the team.
Now, all of this has been helped by Al Golden calling a better defense since the bye week. Golden has seemed to simplify the defense a bit and gotten his players into better spots.
Against the Ravens, he also blitzed at a higher rate than he had been, which helped bring more pressure on Lamar and force him into making mistakes. Golden needs to keep coaching at a high level moving forward as well.
The Bengals play the Bills and the Ravens over the next two weeks. Then they close the season with the Dolphins, Cardinals, and Browns. Can the Bengals defense continue to play this well against multiple good offenses over the next few weeks?
Whether it can will decide if the Bengals have any chance of making the playoffs. The Bengals will need players like Murphy and Ossai to continue making strides, and their linebackers will need to take a step forward.