If the Cincinnati Bengals have had one Achilles Heel, other than QB Joe Burrow’s Achilles, it’s their defense. They were minutes away from winning a Super Bowl, if not for the defense allowing a touchdown. They had a high-octane offense last year but barely posted a winning record because of their defense. That has to change, and in a hurry Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin acknowledges.
“Defense is important. A lot of people believe defense wins championships, and maybe that’s true. If we get a little better over there, maybe we will”, he said, via Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk.
For gits and shiggles, I checked the numbers. The last time the Bengals had a top-15 defense in yards allowed was in 2013. In 2022, the year they went 12-4 and lost to the Chiefs in the conference finals, they did rank sixth in points allowed. That was the only time since 2016 they ranked in the top 10 in points allowed, though.
Last season, the Bengals ranked 25th defensively in both yards and points allowed. While scoring 27.8 points per game, they also allowed 25.5, which is a tough barrier. Four times during the 2024 season, they scored more than 30 points but lost. That included their Week 13 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, who put up 44 to their 38.
And if the Steelers can put up 44 points on you, you know that your defense is wrecked. In actuality, the Bengals allowed more points to the Steelers than any other team last season, which is odd. But divisional play tends to be odd. The point, however, remains the same, which is that their defense is lacking. Only five times did they allow fewer than 20 points all season.
But the Bengals really only have one genuinely great defender, and that’s Trey Hendrickson. And Hendrickson probably wants to be traded if he doesn’t get a new deal, so there’s that. The man who has 35 sacks over the last two years is ready to find a new home if they’re not willing to pay.
And the Bengals, frankly, didn’t do too much in free agency. They added DT T.J. Slaton Jr. and ILB Oren Burks, but that’s about it. And at 340 pounds, it’s questionable how many snaps Slaton will play.
Cincinnati took care of its offense this offseason by locking up Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. But if they’re going to consistently force the offense to score 24-plus points just to win a game, the Bengals are going to have tough sledding. Just because you have a productive offense doesn’t mean you can score at will.
Interestingly, the Bengals actually went 4-2 last season in games in which they scored fewer than 25 points. Granted, that includes two wins over the Browns, one over the Giants, and one over the Steelers. The quality of opponent—and of their offense—is an important ingredient there. So the answer is pretty simple: fix the defense, stupid.
