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Three things the eye test says about the Cincinnati Bengals

By Steve Rivera

BALTIMORE, MD - OCTOBER 13: Head coach Zac Taylor of the Cincinnati Bengals reacts during the second half against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium on October 13, 2019 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MD - OCTOBER 13: Head coach Zac Taylor of the Cincinnati Bengals reacts during the second half against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium on October 13, 2019 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) /
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BALTIMORE, MD – OCTOBER 13: Lamar Jackson #8 of the Baltimore Ravens rushes against the Cincinnati Bengals during the first half at M&T Bank Stadium on October 13, 2019 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Dan Kubus/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MD – OCTOBER 13: Lamar Jackson #8 of the Baltimore Ravens rushes against the Cincinnati Bengals during the first half at M&T Bank Stadium on October 13, 2019 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Dan Kubus/Getty Images) /

It’s pretty much a foregone conclusion that opposing offenses can have big days against the Cincinnati Bengals defense. To say it’s porous is generous. It’s bad, by every metric and by every definition. It also isn’t going to improve in such a way this season that it’s NOT a liability in 2019.

In Week 2 against San Francisco, a suspect Niners quarterback in Jimmy Garoppolo looked like an MVP candidate. In Week 4, a backup in Mason Rudolph helped the Steelers to rout the Bengals. In Week 5 and Week 6, playmakers in Kyler Murray of the Cardinals and Lamar Jackson of the Ravens punished the Cincinnati defense.

Before all is said and done this season, the Bengals will face the likes of Jared Goff, Derek Carr, Tom Brady, and Jackson again. All quarterbacks who can light it up on-demand.

The bottom line is Cincinnati can’t stop the run and it cannot stop the pass. You get a quarterback who can do both, like Week 6 against the Ravens, and the Bengals have a host of issues. Against a better than average running game, same deal.

Like I said, to watch the Bengals on defense is to hold your breath and hope for the best. You can’t win football games that way. At 0-6, Cincinnati is showing just that.

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