Although the final result was less lopsided than the Vikings game a week prior, the Bengals' Monday Night loss in Denver somehow felt even more crushing, causing fans to lose their last additional bit of hope they didn't even know they still had.
At least the game against the Vikings was undone by five unlucky turnovers and an all-time defensive performance from Isaiah Rodgers; at least the offense was able to move the ball down the field, even if it scarcely resulted in actual points on the board.
The game against Denver was borderline unwatchable, especially on the offensive side of the ball. After their first drive netted them three points, they wouldn't get into Denver territory the rest of the night and would be outgained 512 yards to 159 yards.
There's a lot of blame to go around. Head Coach Zac Taylor is (rightfully) taking the brunt of it for having his team so consistently ill-prepared, and the sheer lack of discipline they showed in Denver with all the penalties, including back-to-back delay of games. And one of those was on a punt. Brutal.
And speaking of punts, deciding to punt on 4th-and-3 down 21-3 in the final quarter is about the closest thing to quitting he could've done without just walking into the locker room right then and there.
Bengals should consider firing offensive line coach Scott Peters after brutal start to 2025
There's one coach in particular that should've been locked out of team facilities come Tuesday morning, and it's a new hire. Not defensive coordinator Al Golden. Not defensive line coach Jerry Montgomery.
No, the coach in question is offensive line coach Scott Peters. When Frank "glass-eaters" Pollack got canned, Bengals fans rejoiced. They had made a lot of changes to the offensive line over the last few offseasons, and nothing seemed to work, so the next step was getting rid of the guy who was responsible for coaching and developing them. When they named who they were hiring in his place, there was less fanfare.
The Patriots had the 31st ranked pass blocking offensive line and 32nd ranked run blocking offensive line in 2024, per PFF.
— Gridiron Grading (@GridironGrading) January 20, 2025
They also had the 30th ranked running game by EPA/play.
But at least we can look forward to this. https://t.co/AXAFnEQGg3 pic.twitter.com/CJQhWJgdFy
You can make the argument for Al Golden and Lou Anarumo before him that they don't have the talent on defense to field an above-average unit; most fans are hoping for the majority of the defense to be replaced come next season. However, while the personnel on the offensive line aren't world beaters, they shouldn't be as bad as they are.
If the 48-10 loss to the Vikings raised alarms, this one has set everything on fire. Although Al Golden's unit has looked rough these last couple of weeks, it's the offense that's really concerning.
No team with Tee Higgins and Ja'Marr Chase, as well as other quality weapons like Chase Brown and Mike Gesicki, should ever put up 13 points over a two-game stretch, yet here we are. And the o-line is much to blame.
Jalen Rivers and Dylan Fairchild are rookies; that's expected. Players at their position routinely struggle with adjusting to the NFL. However, Dalton Risner, a player fans were clamoring for all offseason, and actually got, went from a solid player in Minnesota to abrupt failure in stripes.
That's not all. Most damning against the job Peters has done so far is the inexplicable regression and drop-off of blockers who were actually solid for the Bengals last year. Last year, Orlando Brown Jr. was leading all tackles in pass block win rate about halfway through the season. This year, he's already given up two sacks and eight pressures, and seems to have at least one awful rep every week.
Amarius Mims had the expected struggles of a rookie, but showed a lot of promise and potential to be a franchise cornerstone at tackle. So far in his sophomore campaign, he's looked completely lost at times.
Finally, we arrive at the Bengals' anchor at center, Ted Karras. The lone bright spot on that dreaded interior offensive line, Karras has been more or less a passable starter — smushed between two of the league's worst guards.
Now, the guard situation is practically the same, and Karras has regressed heavily. Maybe you can chalk Karras' regression up to age-- even though he shouldn't have taken this steep a fall-off over the offseason-- but there's no reason for Brown Jr. and Mims to look as bad as they have, and it's a serious indictment on Peters.
The Ted Karras fall off has been rough through 3 weeks.
— Gridiron Grading (@GridironGrading) September 21, 2025
He is responsible for 8 pressures so far (ranked 35/35 qualified centers) and is grading as a bottom 4 run blocking center, per PFF initial charting.
He was just signed to a 1 year extension and will be 33 next season.
Not to mention, his blocking scheme is terrible. The Bengals can't produce a good run game, and that's largely due to the fact that they are sporting the worst run-blocking group in the entire league. And if the opposing defensive coordinator decides to throw a blitz or stunt at the Bengals' offense? You might as well forget it, the line looks completely unprepared to handle it whenever that happens, and that falls directly on the coaching.
Zac Taylor definitely isn't helping, yet Peters is somehow panning out even worse than Pollack.
With how bad the unit has looked, no one would be surprised if Peters just had a one-year stop in Cincinnati-- and even then, he may not last the whole season.