We warned that the Bills’ tight ends could be the death knell to the Cincinnati Bengals’ season.
And while other, more self-inflicted factors obviously contributed to Cincinnati's loss to Buffalo, the tight ends played a significant role in the Bengals' snowy demise.
Cincinnati will not be able to fix this issue in time to minimize its impact on this season's game results.
However, while it is now abundantly clear to everyone that this problem exists, if it was not before, the good news is that the powers that be have a chance to get a head start on curtailing it before the 2026 season.
Bengals failed open-book test against Josh Allen and Bills' tight ends
Throughout Sunday's 39-34 Bengals loss, the three Buffalo tight ends that we were afraid of totaled 11 receptions for 137 yards and two touchdowns.
Dawson Knox and Dalton Kincaid led Buffalo with six and four catches, respectively. Both tight ends also led the team with 93 and 41 yards receiving, respectively.
And while the third man on the depth chart, Jackson Hawes, had one catch, it came on Buffalo's final touchdown that sealed the game for the Bills.
Bills offensive strategy in the pass game is the right one, just repeated targeting of the #Bengals linebackers.
— Paul Dehner Jr. (@pauldehnerjr) December 7, 2025
They saw what everyone else does watching the tape.
Bengals must find linebackers adept in pass coverage
Obviously, the Bengals need a much better pass rush for their defense heading into the 2026 NFL season. However, linebackers, who can cover tight ends and running backs out of the backfield, will be a close second, if not eventually the priority, when it comes to fixing a much-maligned defensive unit.
The Bengals did it once, drafting Logan Wilson and Germaine Pratt. Hopefully, they’ll be able to do it again, but rookies Demetrius Knight Jr. and Barrett Carter are not getting the job done whatsoever.
Bills head coach Sean McDermott basically trolled Cincinnati for its weakness in this particular area.
Bills coach Sean McDermott on the big game from Buffalo’s tight ends: “Our guys do a great job. We walk in on Mondays and they've crunched the data.
— Ben Baby (@Ben_Baby) December 8, 2025
“That was one of the areas that we felt we could expose some of what they do.”
(via the Bills beat writers)
One of the names to keep in mind this upcoming draft season is Texas Tech’s Jacob Rodriguez.
According to Pro Football Focus, Rodriguez is one of the highest graded coverage defenders in college football. That is amongst all defensive players, not just the linebackers.
As of today, PFF has Rodriguez as their 102nd best overall prospect. That would put him as an early third-round selection.
If you are PFF agnostic, NFL Draft Buzz has Rodriguez as their 109th-rated prospect and their best coverage linebacker, who is not considered an edge rusher. They ranked him just above Ohio State's Sonny Styles in that category.
Rodriguez’s four interceptions, six passes defended, seven forced fumbles, 117 tackles, and 11 tackles for loss will be highly sought after by any NFL franchise, looking to ameliorate their linebacker room, especially if they struggle in pass defense.
Bengals inability to cover tight ends goes beyond personnel
But the Bengals should not view their linebacker problems as just a personnel issue. There is also a question about whether the scheme they are working with is the best.
If we knew the Bengals could not cover tight ends, you know all opposing offensive coordinators know the same thing. At some point, the scheme needs to reflect the defense's biggest weakness.
Perhaps that’s what Al Golden is doing. Suppose the lack of pass rush is the biggest problem. That would help explain why we see the defense blitzing and playing man-to-man coverage in situations we usually would not see.
Yes, rushing the passer was the primary concern, emphasis on was. Now, offensive coordinators, tight ends, and fantasy football players alike will be chomping at the bit to get the position involved against Cincinnati’s defense, just like the Bills and pretty much every other team have done this season.
Ravens’ tight ends looking forward to next shot at Cincinnati
Before we get too far ahead of ourselves, the Bengals have a game to play against the Ravens again.
Mark Andrews, Isaiah Likely, and Charlie Kolar must be excited about the game plan their offensive coordinator, Todd Monken is installing.
Against the Steelers on Sunday, Baltimore's trio caught six passes for 53 yards and one touchdown.
Andrews is the most excited to see Cincinnati's defense. In his first game after receiving a $40 million contract extension from Baltimore, he recorded one catch for nine yards.
Fortunately, for Andrews, he will have a chance to appease Ravens' fans and show he was worthy of that extension by having a potentially huge game against a Cincinnati team that, no matter what they do and no matter the situation, has shown over and over and over again that they are incapable of covering tight ends.
If the Bengals want any chance of slowing the Ravens' offense, they must stop the hemorrhaging production coming from the position. Al Golden and company must key on Andrews, Likely, and Kolar, especially on third- and fourth-down situations. However, that has proven easier said than done.
Hopefully, the Bengals can pull off a win against their division rival on Sunday. However, to do that, they must find a way at least to minimize the output from the tight end position, while discouraging future opponents from drinking from that particular well too often.