As we’ve been doing for several years now, we’ll break down the Pittsburgh Steelers’ opponent each week, telling you what to expect from a scheme and individual standpoint. This year, Jonathan Heitritter and I will cover the opposing team’s defense. I will focus on the scheme, Jonathan on the players.
Today, we are scouting the Cincinnati Bengals’ defense in this Week 7 game against the Steelers.
Alex’s Scheme Report
Bengals Run Defense
It’s a 4-3 front that the Bengals have run for years, even after a coordinator change to DC Al Golden. The numbers show the run defense has been poor. A whopping 28th in rushing yards allowed (135.7), a 4.4 YPC (20th), and 8 rushing touchdowns (tied-27th). But the Bengals have played from behind and been run on a lot because of it. The 186 carries by opposing offenses are most in the NFL. Of those, 17 runs have gone for 10-plus yards. That’s 18th in the NFL. Far from good but better than the other numbers.
Rookie linebacker Demetrius Knight leads the team with 46 tackles. He’s played 73 percent of the snaps and begun eating into LB Logan Wilson’s role. Three of the four Bengals top tacklers are defensive backs, which is telling.
The run defense has kept a lid on things and it feels like one reason why the group has struggled is wearing down late in games. The tape isn’t all bad. The front flows well against zone schemes.
Similar to Minnesota, the Bengals like to play 5-1/6-1 “Penny” fronts on early downs and maintain a two-high shell even against run personnel like two tight end sets.
Though watch for the safety to spin down late as an add-on and try to bait teams into running the ball into a suddenly bad front.
As Jonathan will touch on below, the Bengals have a lot of pedigree in that front. High draft picks in Joseph Ossai, Myles Murphy, and Shemar Stewart (returning off an injury). Pittsburgh’s expected to lean on TE Darnell Washington and OL Spencer Anderson again.
As a defense, the Bengals are 30th in points per game allowed at 30.5. Yardage is just as bad, 31st at 394.2. Situational football is rough, too. Cincinnati ranks 29th on third down at 45.9 percent and 30th in red zone, 71.4 percent.
Bengals Pass Defense
On the year, the Bengals rank 31st in passing yards per game (258.5). The group is below-average in completion rate against (68.5 percent, 23rd), YPA (28th, 7.9), and passing touchdowns (tied-27th, 13). They are better in creating splash with six interceptions and seven total takeaways, though tied-22nd with only 11 sacks.
As a pressure unit, the Bengals are equally 16 percent in blitz rate and pressure. Both are bottom-tier marks league-wide.
The big problem with this defense, run and pass, are the number of missed tackles. Cincinnati’s missed a league-high 50 of them through six games. That’s what jumps off the tape most glaringly with this group.
Consider this. The Bengals are 32nd in YAC allowed this season with a whopping 937 yards. Pittsburgh’s offense is No. 1 in YAC per game at 141 yards per game (they’re lower overall because of the bye game). So the worst YAC defense is facing the best YAC offense. And there’s a bunch of missed tackles on tape.
While metrics show the Bengals playing a lot of middle of field closed (Cover 1, Cover 3), they seem to play a lot of Cover 2 on important downs. And try to disguise it well. Examples.
But there’s a mix of Cover 6 and combination coverages here, too. Not a ton of blitzes and DE Trey Hendrickson has dropped into coverage a little more than I expected. Like here, hook zone as the back releases out and up.
Jonathan’s Individual Report
The Pittsburgh Steelers look to take a commanding lead in the AFC North on a short week against a Cincinnati Bengals team trying to stay afloat. The Bengals currently sit at 2-4 and have struggled mightily this year to stay relevant after losing Joe Burrow to a turf toe injury. Cincinnati sits second-to-last in the league in total yards allowed on the season and are 30th in points allowed. They rank 31st in the league against the pass and 28th against the run.
Defensive Line
DL #92 B.J. Hill is the anchor of the interior defensive line. Hill came to Cincinnati from the Giants in exchange for OL Billy Price and quickly made a mark on the defensive line in his fifth season now with the team. So far in 2024, Hill has recorded 23 total stops, two tackles for loss, and one sack. He plays with great effort in pursuit of the football, running down ballcarriers while stuffing up running lanes and pushing the pocket.
The Bengals have No. 98 T.J. Slaton starting beside Hill as more of a run plugger, coming over from Green Bay after starting 36 games in four seasons with the Packers. Rotating in with the starters are No. 90 Kris Jenkins and No. 93 McKinnley Jackson as Jenkins is the son of four-time Pro Bowler Kris Jenkins and has been productive as a run defender as well as generating a pass rush, posting three sacks as a rookie and 1.5 in 2025.
Jackson is more of a pure run stuffer as a stout 6-2, 331-pound defender while No 69 Mike Pennel has been a key rotational piece for the Chiefs and profiles more as a run plugger.
EDGE
On the edges for the Bengals, DE No. 91 Trey Hendrickson headlines the unit as the team’s most accomplished pass rusher. He came over from New Orleans on a big money deal after a breakout season in 2020 and proved he was worth the investment, tallying 17.5 sacks in back-to-back seasons in 2023 and 2024. He’s up to four sacks in 2025 and three tackles for loss this season, playing with a motor that is always running hot that wins as a power rusher and likes to use a chop/swipe move paired with a rip around the edge as a changeup from straight power. He suffered a back injury last week against the Packers and his status for Thursday night is currently up in the air.
Opposite of Hendrickson is No. 58 Joseph Ossai who showed promise last year in 2024 with five sacks and 15 quarterback hits. Ossai plays with great effort and grit, chasing the ball carrier or passer with goo pursuit on the edge. No. 99 Myles Murphy has had a slow start to his career after being a former first round pick in 2023, playing more in a rotational role as a base defensive end with the traits, but lacks production. No. 96 Cameron Sample provides depth on the edge as a better run defender than pass rusher and rookie No. 97 Shemar Stewart has missed the last four games with an ankle injury and his status for Thursday isn’t great.
Linebackers
No. 55 Logan Wilson signed a nice contract extension with Cincinnati back in 2023, and he’s been worth every penny. The Wyoming product plays as the MIKE backer and does it all for the defense, being a sound run defender with great instincts. Wilson currently has 37 total tackles, one fumble recovery, and three pass deflections so far in 2025 as the leader of the LB core. He flies to the football, being a guy to always account for on the field. However, he’s struggled in coverage the last two seasons, been a guy Pittsburgh could exploit with their tight ends.
Rookie No. 44 Demetrius Knight has filled in for Germaine Pratt after being a second round pick out of South Carolina and has been a tackling machine, racking up 46 total stops with one tackle for loss and two pass deflections on the year. Fellow rookie No. 49 Barrett Carter also sees plenty of time on the field in sub packages, having 28 stops as a fast and physical linebacker that flies to the ball.
Behind them, No. 42 Oren Burks is a core special teamer while No. 50 Shaka Heyward plays a fair amount on special teams as well as the cousin to Cameron and Connor Heyward.
Cornerbacks
No. 29 Cam Taylor-Britt has become one of the top defenders in the secondary for Cincinnati, posting seven interceptions and 27 pass deflections over the past two seasons. Britt is a fast athlete that can run with long, tall, fast receivers down the field, but also brings the demeanor of a stout run defender to the table as well. No. 20 DJ Turner starts opposite of Tylor-Britt and is extremely fast and feisty, and that shows up in his tape as he leads the league with 11 pass deflections so far this year.
No. 23 Dax Hill starts in the slot after spending his first couple of seasons at safety, filling in for Mike Hilton who is no longer with the team. He has 43 total stops and two pass deflections so far on the season, being reliable near the line of scrimmage to quickly come downhill in run support. No 28 Josh Newton is a physical pass coverage defender that doesn’t mind coming up in run support, but he can be a bit grabby in pass coverage and lacks ideal quickness. No. 38 DJ Ivey and No. 24 Marco Wilson primarily play special teams for the Bengals.
Safeties
The Bengals also went out and signed No. 22 Geno Stone in 2024 from the Baltimore Ravens, having snagged 11 interceptions over the past two seasons. He has one so far in 2025 along with 37 total tackles, one sack, and one pass deflection, having an average build and average athleticism, but is extremely intelligent from the neck up and puts himself in position to make plays.
No. 27 Jordan Battle has become the full-time starter in Year 3 in Cincinnati, having 45 total stops, two pass deflections, and two interceptions so far this season as a physical safety that can come top-down as an enforcer but also undercut routes in pass coverage. No. 26 Tycen Anderson primarily is a core special teamer for Cincinnati, having seen four defensive snaps this season while No. 37 PJ Jules also gives Cincinnati contributions on special teams.
