The Cincinnati Bengals’ defense might be the worst we’ve seen in a while — and now some teammates on the other side of the ball are starting to lose their patience.
The Bengals were on the verge of pulling off an impossible comeback against the Bears by scoring 15 points in two minutes and handing a 42-41 lead to the defense with 54 seconds left.
Four plays later, the Bears had retaken the lead with an unlikely touchdown and a 47-42 victory.
“It sucks, but that’s the NFL,” Bengals running back Chase Brown said when asked about the brutal loss. “Like what the f–k. What the f–k.”
Cincinnati has had its defense ruin games for them all season, but it really reared its head in the last two games. The defense let the then-winless Jets come from behind to win 39-38 last week despite being down two scores in the fourth quarter.
“You know we just have to play complementary football,” Brown said. “We put the ball in the end zone and go up a point at the end, finish the f–king game, just end it. That’s what we need to do, just end the f–king game…. That’s how I feel.”
Superstar receiver Ja’Marr Chase had similar frustrations with the defense, as he was caught on camera walking back to the locker room as dejected as anyone.
“One f–king stop,” Chase can be heard saying after the game.
The Bengals’ offense battled back after going down 41-27 in the fourth quarter. Joe Flacco continued his strong play after being traded midseason by the Browns by rallying for two touchdown drives and one two-point conversion to go up 42-41.
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Chicago, which got the ball back with less than a minute to go, drove 72 yards on four plays, culminating with a 58-yard touchdown to rookie tight end Colston Loveland.
Coach Zac Taylor seemed to feel his players’ frustration.
“We’ve got to find a way to get it fixed,” Taylor said postgame. “And we are. We’re working like crazy to get it done. Again, it’s not because of a lack of work, or lack of effort. (We’re) trying to cover every single stone to get it done, and it is tough. This is just the result of what we’re dealing with.”
That effort just hasn’t been leading to improvement in Cincinnati.
The Bengals’ defense is ranked No. 32 by FTN’s DVOA stat, and there is a case to be made that it is among the worst defenses in recent memory.
In terms of EPA/Play (expected points allowed per play), the Bengals’ defense is among the worst in the past 25 years.
The Bengals are the first team since 1966 (59 years) to lose back-to-back games while scoring 38 points or more in each.
It’s only gotten worse with elite pass rusher Trey Hendrickson out due to injury.
Middle linebacker and defensive captain Logan Wilson also recently requested a trade.
