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The tape and the stats are impossible to deny.<\/p>\n
The Washington Commanders only needed seven plays against the Bengals\u2019 starting defense to score two touchdowns. This was after allowing a touchdown and a field goal drive to the Philadelphia Eagles the week prior.<\/p>\n
They are allowing 11.4 yards per carry. The starters only forced an opponent to reach third down twice.<\/p>\n
Somehow, the tape looked worse than the numbers.<\/p>\n
Easy completions for Eagles backup QB Tanner McKee, massive holes for explosive runs from the likes of Chris Rodriguez and Will Shipley. Failure to come close to tackling Jayden Daniels when the quarterback was surrounded by Bengals eight yards from the end zone.<\/p>\n
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Coming off a 2024 where the Bengals defense reached historical levels of ineffectiveness, these drives felt as demoralizing as they have been like deja vu around Cincinnati.<\/p>\n
Inside Paycor Stadium, doom, gloom and deja vu were far from the reaction to the 24 points allowed in four preseason drives by the starting defense.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll be excited to get through this preseason and play real football and do the things I\u2019ve seen us do in practice,\u201d head coach Zac Taylor said. \u201cThere\u2019s good learning experience for a couple of the guys that were in positions there, that we need to improve at and be better at, because you\u2019ll see it again at some point in the year, but again, I like the direction our defense is going. I think there\u2019s a lot of positivity there.\u201d<\/p>\n
These comments Wednesday, echoing those made after Monday night\u2019s 31-17 win in Washington, D.C., were met with understandable public resistance.<\/p>\n
Media members and fans filling the social media news cycle still have visceral memories of the Bengals scoring 99 points in three critical mid-season games last year, only to go 0-3, allowing 113 to the Ravens, Chargers and Steelers.<\/p>\n
Sure, new defensive coordinator Al Golden will alter the scheme, but largely the same cast of characters from the 2024 nightmare are back. Then the first public glimpses of his group provided the same ugly results.<\/p>\n
Yet, there\u2019s positivity? How can that be? Well, in their eyes, this comes back to the picture they chose to show.<\/p>\n
\u201cAny blame on that goes absolutely on my shoulders,\u201d Golden said. \u201cThat\u2019s a decision that we made in conjunction with Zac and just trying to limit anybody\u2019s purview in terms of what we\u2019re doing. So again, from that standpoint, what we have to do better in every phase of the game is, we need to tackle better. We need to take the ball away. We need to be situationally aware. All those little things are really what the standard is in terms of what we\u2019re trying to get done in these games, but not necessarily trying to out-scheme somebody.\u201d<\/p>\n
Golden called the games \u201ca changeup\u201d for his group, not showing any of their standard defensive movement and strategies. All part of the design to gain whatever advantage they can in Week 1 in Cleveland.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat our identity is on tape,\u201d Taylor said, \u201cthere\u2019s no reason to put it out there right now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Players like sixth-year veteran linebacker Logan Wilson felt the difference in not challenging beyond base schematics during his 21 preseason snaps.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are only running 10 or 15 percent of what we are truly running,\u201d sixth-year linebacker Logan Wilson said. \u201cYou really just want to work on your technique, your fundamentals, tackling and turnovers and stuff like that. It\u2019s just how the preseason has gone for us \u2026 not making any excuses, we can always play better, but it\u2019s not necessarily something I really worry about right now.\u201d<\/p>\n
The odd aspect has been that the defense actually looked quite good in camp. The defense has played well against JoeBurrow and friends through 18 practices. They\u2019ve frustrated Ja\u2019Marr Chase into throwing a football at Jordan Battle. They\u2019ve knocked down passes for Tee Higgins at the high point. They\u2019ve stuffed Chase Brown. They\u2019ve picked off Burrow.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery one of our practices are more back and forth than the games have been,\u201d Wilson said.<\/p>\n
The theme of Bengals training camp this year was the playmaking and confidence coming from this defense. Yes, this Bengals offense chalked up plenty of wins, but the defense did as well, which left a much larger impression than what transpired on the field.<\/p>\n
On Wednesday, since Cincinnati\u2019s starters aren\u2019t participating on Saturday, the team rolled out a 35-play scrimmage for the starting group (plus 16 second-team plays). Shemar Stewart batted down a pass, Oren Burks made a tackle for loss at the goal line, Dax Hill broke up a pass intended for Chase. The defense only allowed one touchdown.<\/p>\n
It was the type of performance Golden, Taylor and the entire defensive unit have referenced when questioned about the preseason game issues. They don\u2019t believe the game results were indicative of the team they\u2019ve proven to be over the larger sample size on the practice fields.<\/p>\n
\u201cI see it every day,\u201d Golden said. \u201cI see it every day. I see it every day. And I see it against a really good offense every day. That\u2019s all I need to know. Look, I\u2019m like you; I worry about every facet of the defense. So if we don\u2019t fit a run well, that\u2019s a concern. If we didn\u2019t tackle well, that\u2019s a concern. But at the same time, I want to make sure that they know every day the standard is won or lost out here in terms of operating the way we want to operate. I think the guys have made a lot of progress with that.\u201d<\/p>\n
What does the disconnect between practice and the game, specifically, look like?<\/p>\n
Players pointed out they didn\u2019t practice or gameplan for any plays Philadelphia or Washington would be expected to run. For example, take the 27-yard touchdown run by Jacory Croskey-Merritt on the second drive. Three pullers led the way on a counter off right tackle. Edge Stewart, the first-round pick, came in too high, opening up the hole on one side and second-round pick Demetrius Knight didn\u2019t attack aggressively enough, opening it up on the other. Then Wilson couldn\u2019t fill behind Knight, who ended up by his legs and stumbled 12 yards downfield while Croskey-Merritt crossed the goal line.<\/p>\n
\nRookie Jacory Croskey-Merritt goes by "Bill"<\/p>\n
Bill just went 27 yards to the \ud83c\udfe0<\/p>\n
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Stream on @NFLPlus<\/a> and ESPN+ pic.twitter.com\/UD9tot9Iau<\/a><\/p>\n— NFL (@NFL) August 19, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n