3 reasons the Bengals will be better than people think in 2021
By Alex Austin
The defense looks like it is improved for the Bengals
Going into the 2020 season, Cincinnati was regarded as having a bad defense per PFF. They made it a point to get better on that side of the ball, however.
The Bengals were able to bring in D.J. Reader last year who was supposed to make all the difference in stopping the run, but the linebackers and secondary were a big mix of unknowns and concerns. Things went from bad to worse last year when Reader was injured early in the year, and many of the veteran players on the Bengals did not contribute.
This year, Cincinnati still has some of the same concerns but has seemed to improve slightly in the offseason. Out of five tiers, Cincinnati has been given the honor of moving up into the fourth tier. While this in no way says that the Bengals have a good defense, improvement will be beneficial for a team looking to make it out of the bunch of worst teams in the league.
If everyone is able to stay healthy Cincinnati could have a lower-middle-ranked defense. This won’t be enough to win a Super Bowl, or likely get them to the playoffs, but it will be enough to win a few more games.
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If we take six or seven games that were close in the last few seasons and win half this year, Cincinnati could be on pace for right around a seven-win season. That’s at least progress in the right direction for this franchise.