The Cincinnati Bengals will be relieved after they were able to get back to winning ways on Sunday with a 31-24 win against the Miami Dolphins. They now head into the well-timed BYE week, 3-2 and are in a great position to battle for the AFC North.
Dolphins quarterback Malik Willis really struggled to play against the Bengals' defense, as they forced two interceptions and a fumble, which was recovered by the defense too. It echoes how they've played all year, as the revamped Cincy defense has been making game-changing plays after game-changing plays.
One of the best plays against the Dolphins was a fourth-quarter sack in the red zone by linebacker Barrett Carter, which all but iced the game. Carter has improved a lot this season, alongside Demetrius Knight Jr., with both players in their second seasons in the NFL.
The linebackers have had a lot of criticism
Both Knight and Carter have had their fair share of critics. In their rookie season last year, it wasn't good. They were both guilty of blown coverage and missed tackles, leading many to believe that the Bengals would make an effort to improve their linebackers in the offseason.
There were calls to trade for Dolphins linebacker Jordyn Brooks or pick up Bobby Wagner in free agency. However, the Bengals opted against it and decided to go into the season with Knight and Carter as their two starting linebackers, a move that was widely criticised because of the perceived weakness of the position.
Defensive coordinator Al Golden even had to come out and emphasise his faith in the pair, as he was quoted by Yahoo Sports during training camp. He said: "You guys know how I feel about them - love them. I stood on the table for them."
Demetrius Knight Jr. is the Bengals' most improved player
Both linebackers have impressed this year, but when you look at the numbers, Knight Jr. looks to be a completely different player from what we saw last season. He already has 8.4 tackles per game this season, compared to 6.2 last year.
He also has a touchdown this season, on a scoop-and-score from that dominant Week 1 win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and he's been a monster in defending the run. Per Joe Goodberry on X, Knight Jr. has the seventh-highest PFF run defense grade in the NFL this season and the 12th-best run stop rate of any linebacker this season.
Demetrius Knight currently has the 7th highest Run Defense Grade from PFF and the 12th best Run Stop Rate of any LB in the league. pic.twitter.com/ampZiQrsNI
— Goodberry (@JoeGoodberry) October 12, 2026
This Bengals defense has struggled in defending the run this season, but it's certainly no fault of Knight Jr. Compared to last year, when he really struggled against the run, especially with countless missed tackles, he may well be the Bengals' most improved player.
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