Cincinnati officially has a major problem. The Bengals are 1-4 after the first quarter of the season, which greatly hurts their chances of making the playoffs. This franchise is no stranger to slow starts, as they have overcome 0-2 records and finished above .500 over the past two seasons, but this is another level of self-inflicted trouble.
The offense has largely returned to form, scoring 38 points on several big plays against the Baltimore Ravens this week, but the defense has regressed toward being one of the worst units in the NFL. Against a quarterback of Lamar Jackson’s caliber, their defensive efforts fell short — and the Bengals could struggle to overcome their defense for the rest of the season.
According to the NFL’s Next Gen Stats, the Bengals rank 30th in expected points allowed per game this season (0.10). They haven’t done a good job of keeping that side of the ball stocked with talent since reaching the Super Bowl against the Rams a few years ago, and now find themselves in a spot where they can’t stop a bloody nose. minus a two-time MVP quarterback. The Bengals have allowed 32.3 points per game over the past four games, including a 24-point effort by the Panthers, who were just smothered by the Bears last weekend. No matter how many 50-yard touchdowns Burrow can throw to Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, if they can’t stop anyone on the other end, they’re going to keep losing games.
That’s actually what made this loss so frustrating for Bengals fans. The offense went back to what was expected against a Ravens defense that held the Bills to 10 points last week. Burrow played with confidence again, Chase and Higgins dominated the Ravens’ coverage and the offensive line held up well considering how often they threw the ball, but that simply didn’t matter as the Bengals’ defense was pierced. by the Ravens offense with ease.
Baltimore shot an astounding 10-of-15 on third-down attempts in this game, averaged 6.8 yards per play, and allowed just one penalty that turned into a first down for them. The Ravens also gained 520 total yards, earned 30 first downs and had a red zone efficiency (touchdowns per possession) of 83.3%, according to TruMedia. They just walked up and down the field and did whatever they wanted.
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Jackson threw for 345 yards and four touchdowns, and Derrick Henry also trampled the Bengals defense on his way to 92 yards and a touchdown on the ground. The Ravens should remain one of the best offenses in the league, and they still have a game in hand against the Bengals this year. There’s no reason to think Baltimore can’t score at will the second time they play, barring injuries.
By the standards of expected points allowed per game, only the Jaguars and Rams have been worse than the Bengals defense from an efficiency standpoint. No one expects these teams to ultimately be contenders, but unfortunately, this is the level of teams the Bengals find themselves in at this point in the season. They have so many holes, from defense to linebacker to secondary play, that there isn’t even a quick fix or fix they can find at the trade deadline that will get them back to where they want to be. This is a multi-year process unless some of their younger players develop at a rapid pace this season.
Brace yourselves, Bengals fans. This season could easily be a long season. The offense gives them a chance in every game, but it’s not even fair to ask them to score 40 week in and week out just for a chance to win a game. Good offenses like the Commanders and Ravens aren’t going anywhere and right now those games just seem too difficult for this defense.