Bengals Lose in shocking comeback against the 0-7 jets

The Cincinnati Bengals just suffered one of the worst losses of the Zac Taylor era, as they fall to 3-5 after a 39-38 loss to the New York Jets.

Today was viewed as a vital game for the Cincinnati Bengals. Instead of building off of last week’s huge home victory against division foe Pittsburgh, the Bengals have lost to the 0-7 Jets. This game was viewed as one the Bengals needed to win while waiting for the return of star quarterback Joe Burrow. In the end, the Bengals have provided more questions than answers following today’s crushing loss.

The underlying questions from today’s game revolve around the defense. The defense was flat-out abysmal. To put it into perspective, only twice in the past 25 years have the Jets put up 500 yards of total offense or more. Today was one of them, and the other was also against the Bengals in 2021.

The Bengals’ defense is giving up an average of a little over 30 points a game, and almost 400 yards of total offense. The Cincinnati Bengals cannot sustain wins with numbers like this. Something has to change on the defensive side of the ball, but the question is what? All signs are pointing to the Bengals continuing to struggle on this side of the ball, and it all starts with the pressure the Bengals are getting up front.

The Bengals’ front couldn’t manage to sack Fields once today, continuing to show that rushing the passer has been an issue all season. Going into this week, the Bengals have just below a 17% pressure rate, putting them at the bottom of the league in this category. Trey Hendrickson’s inability to stay healthy this season has been a part of the Bengals’ struggles, along with Shemar Stewart’s health, but the question is, where can the pass rush come from besides Hendrickson?

Any quarterback the Bengals have faced this season has excelled against this weak defensive unit. Opposing quarterbacks have posted an average of 257 yards through the air, and a passer rating of 101.6. Along with the troubles defending the pass and pressuring the quarterback, missed tackles and defending the run have also been weaknesses of Al Golden’s defensive unit.

Going into Week 8, the Bengals had a whopping 24 more missed tackles than any other team in the NFL with a total of 79. The Dolphins and Jets were the next closest, each with 55 missed tackles.

The Bengals’ stats against the run have been horrific, allowing the most rushing yards of any team in the NFL - A staggering 1,215 yards allowed on an average of 5 yards per carry. The bottom line is something on the defensive side of the ball needs to change immediately if this Bengals team wants a chance at salvaging their season.

According to ESPN’s win probability % in the fourth quarter, the Bengals had a 97.5% chance to win, and still found a way to lose. This sums up the type of day it was for Cincinnati. The Bengals players and coaching staff will have to to swallow the pill of this disheartening loss, and come back motivated, and ready for the Chicago Bears coming into Paycor Stadium at 1 p.m. this Sunday.

Many questions remain unanswered, and we’ll have to wait and see if any moves are made in the coaching department, or if the Bengals look to make any moves before the November 4 trade deadline.