Bengals report card through second quarter of the 2022 season

Defensive Line

• Q1 - B-
• Q2- B

If there's one thing you can say about this defensive line, it's that they've been resilient. Injuries have begun to pile up for this team, especially on the defensive side of the ball, and the line has not been spared. D.J. Reader was lost earlier this season and Trey Hendrickson seems to get banged up for at least a couple plays every week.

It's no wonder we've seen a decent amount of snaps for guys like Zach Carter, Joseph Ossai, and especially Jay Tufele. These guys have been given an opportunity, and they've done a good job in return.

However, one thing that was a strength has now turned into a weakness in the second quarter of the season, specifically against the Browns and Saints. This team has struggled against the run quite a bit in the last couple of weeks. To be fair, they're going against some of the best run offenses in the league, however I still expected them to slow down the run at least a little bit.

They also can't sustain constant pressure on the quarterback, something that's been an issue since Week 1, and the fact that it hasn't really been corrected yet as we near the halfway point is concerning.

Linebackers

• Q1 - A-
• Q2 - B+

Like last time when I covered the linebacker core, I have no complaints about them. Wilson and Pratt have looked good and made tackles while some guys coming off the bench have also come in and made some plays when Wilson went down and missed Week 7 vs. the Falcons.

They might shoulder some of the blame for the run defense's struggles as of late, but I'd put that more on the front four than I would on these guys. Hopefully, Wilson and Pratt remain healthy, and Davis-Gaither continues to make plays when he's given the chance.