While he’s one of the NFL’s most positive head coaches, Bengals coach Zac Taylor was unable to mask his frustration following his defense’s collapse that allowed the Jets to come from 15 points down to get their first win of the 2025 season.
Ahead 31-15 after three quarters, the Bengals’ defense surrendered three fourth-quarter touchdowns that included a touchdown pass from Jets running back Breece Hall en route to a stunning 39-38 defeat. For the game, Cincinnati’s defense allowed over 500 yards to a New York offense that entered the game just 27th in the NFL in scoring.
“We just needed somebody to rise up and make a play,” Taylor said afterward. “Someone just hold the fort down. I just didn’t see enough of that today.”
Taylor really put defense on notice seconds later when he was asked a follow-up about about the unit’s ability (or inability) to overcome adversity.
“I think someone needs to step up and lead the group,” Taylor said. “That’s what I’m waiting to see. Someone to step up and lead the group and take some accountability over there and get this thing going the right way.”
Cincinnati’s defense has been the team’s Achilles heel for over a year, and Sunday’s meltdown may have been the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back in terms of Taylor’s patience with the struggling unit.
Last year, the Bengals’ issues on defense cost Cincinnati a playoff berth while essentially wasting what was a banner year for quarterback Joe Burrow and receiver Ja’Marr Chase. Taylor acted accordingly, dismissing popular defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo (who is now in that same role with the 7-1 Colts) and replacing him with former Notre Dame defensive coordinator Al Golden.
Cincinnati has also made several personnel shifts that included releasing former starting linebacker Germaine Pratt this offseason and the recent benching of fellow inside linebacker Logan Wilson, who has subsequently requested a trade.
Those changes, among others, haven’t seemed to fix what continues to be a struggling unit.
One of the biggest issues has been the Bengals’ resistance to commit big money to that side of the ball. The defense hasn’t been the same since they let safety Jessie Bates III depart via free agency back in 2023. Along with Bates, several other defensive leaders — including fellow defensive backs Mike Hilton and Vonn Bell, defensive tackle D.J. Reader and defensive end Sam Hubbard — are no longer with the team.
Cincinnati’s inability to replace those players via the draft has also led to what’s currently unfolding on the field. In 2022 and 2023, the Bengals drafted players — defensive backs Dax Hill and DE Myles Murphy — who they were hoping could eventually replace Bates and Trey Hendrickson or Wilson. Not only has not that happened, neither player has developed into a quality starter at this point in their careers.
The Bengals appeared to draft a potential star a few years back in cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt, but he has regressed to the point where he too has found himself on the bench and out of the starting lineup this season.
The team’s best defensive player, Hendrickson, had been mired in an ongoing contract dispute that got exceptionally ugly this past offseason. While Hendrickson has played well this year, it’s safe to wonder whether or not the ongoing contract issues have negatively impacted his ability to lead Cincinnati’s defense.
With Burrow injured and likely out until at least mid-December, the Bengals, who are now 3-5 after Sunday’s loss, have no margin for error if they are going to keep their playoff hopes alive until Burrow could possibly come back. They’re certainly going to need better play from their defense, a unit that at this point is in desperate need of a leader.
“We just need some guys to step up,” Taylor reiterated on Sunday. “I’m not gonna sit here and name names. We just need guys to step up.”
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