The Cincinnati Bengals face the Dallas Cowboys on Monday Night Football for Week 14. For both teams, this will be an important game in getting back on track from what has been a rough season. However, the Bengals are already dealing with some injury news that surely won’t make it any easier.

Bengals’ wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase joins the list of injuries, being limited in practice on Thursday with an ankle injury, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. With the Bengals playing on Monday night, there’s still time for Chase to get healthy.

Chase isn’t the only injury the Bengals are dealing with, as both kicker Evan McPherson and linebacker Logan Wilson both have suffered injuries that will all but end their seasons, with maybe a potential return for McPherson. Additionally, offensive tackle Orlando Brown Jr. missed Thursday’s practice with a fibula injury.

Is the Bengals’ defense holding the team back?

2024 has been rough for Cincinnati, with the team sitting at 4-8 on the season. It hasn’t been the fault of the Bengals’ offense, though. The team’s offense ranks No. 9 in the NFL, averaging 356 yards per game, in addition to 41 touchdowns. Defensively, though, you can’t get much worse.

In terms of total defense, the Bengals’ defense ranks No. 27 in the NFL, allowing 369.2 yards per game and 41 touchdowns. For context, they’ve allowed the exact same number of touchdowns as they have scored.

To make matters worse, the Bengals have lost four games in which they scored 30+ points. Their trio of Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, and Tee Higgins simply haven’t been able to win the Bengals games despite their best effort, it’s been out of their control. On the season, Burrow has thrown for 3,337 yards, 30 touchdowns and five interceptions. He’s put together an MVP-caliber season that will be forgotten due to the performance of a poor defense.