The biggest issue for the Cincinnati Bengals defense over the last two years was far and away their ability, or lack thereof, to tackle. Defensive coordinator Al Golden is in his second year of trying to fix that problem.
The Bengals led the NFL in missed tackles by a wide margin in 2025 with 171 missed tackles. The next closest team was the Washington Commanders, who also managed to miss the playoffs, with 131 missed tackles.
While there are discrepancies in the recording of missed tackles as a stat, just as there are in the recording of tackles and sacks, the 171 missed tackles by the Bengals in 2025 were more than any other team since the stat's inception.
Was the Cincinnati Bengals' Week 1 win over the Bucs an indication of improved tackling?
Golden and his defense were successful in helping the Bengals to a win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in week one, but that doesn't mean all the problems from years past are fixed. Despite causing a game-altering four turnovers, the tackling issue seemed to rear its ugly head once again.
According to Pro Football Focus, the Bengals missed 13 tackles against the Buccaneers. That's two more than the 11 missed tackles they had in week one of 2025. Young linebacker Barrett Carter was one of six players across the league with three or more missed tackles. Fellow second-year linebacker Demetrius Knight Jr. also missed three tackles, according to PFF.
Knight Jr. finished last season as one of nine players with 18 or more missed tackles. Carter was right there with Knight Jr., missing 17 tackles in 2025. While the two headline the issue for the Bengals, improvements in other areas of the game might indicate the potential for improvement in tackling.
One thing to consider when looking at the overall tackling ability of the defense is turnovers. The four turnovers that came from fumbles forced by Bengals defenders came as a result of constant punching and ripping at the ball. When players are going for the ball, it makes it easier for ball carriers to break tackles. It's a risk-reward scenario that pays off big when the turnovers come in droves, as they did in week one.
Specifically, Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield's fumble near the goal line and running back Bucky Irving's fumble show how the Bengals were prioritizing attacking the ball instead of wrapping up and bringing the ball carrier down.
Ball belongs to us. pic.twitter.com/INCwEqLY4x
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) September 14, 2026
There is reason for hope when it comes to the Cincinnati Bengals tackling woes
While missed tackles from the two young linebackers might indicate more of the same when it comes to tackling for the Bengals in 2026, there is reason for hope. For one, Golden said in an article from Sports Illustrated that Tampa Bay's Irving isn't an easy guy to bring down.
“I am encouraged by the tackling,” Golden said. “No. 1, I think Bucky (Irving) is as elusive a lateral step as there is. You guys could probably look at how he generates missed tackles, but he is really good at it.”
Another factor specific to the Bengals' win is that week one is often home to many missed tackles throughout the NFL, as modern rules have resulted in limited physicality during training camp and preseason. No more than three consecutive padded practices in a row are allowed under the current Collective Bargaining Agreement, and a team like the Bengals that has seen seasons die because of key injuries in recent years is likely to exercise an abundance of caution.
Another important note when looking at the past tackling issues of the Bengals is that the biggest missed-tackle offender of 2025, safety Geno Stone, is no longer on the team. Stone led the entire NFL in missed tackles with 26. Only three players, including Bengals safety Jordan Battle, had more than 20 missed tackles.
Stone is no longer a member of the Bengals defense, and Battle only had one missed tackle in week one. The replacement of Stone with a better tackler like safety Bryan Cook and improvement from Battle should result in significant tackling improvement from the Bengals defense as a whole.
If the young Bengals core can improve their tackling with the help of massive additions like Cook, edge rusher Boye Mafe and defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence, while the defense finds a groove as they get more comfortable with physicality, tackling can become a strong suit as the Bengals try to make a run in 2026.
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