Just as the Cincinnati Bengals felt the tone of their season shift back toward optimism, disaster struck Sunday.
The disaster was a fourth-quarter meltdown that caused the Bengals’ defense to collapse, allowing the New York Jets to score 23 points in the final quarter and break 500 yards in an impressive 39-38 victory over Cincinnati.
The breakdown in the defense made for a players-only meeting.
“I don’t know what was talked about — nor should I — but I feel like the fact that it was called there’s a sense of urgency there, as it should be,” Bengals defensive coordinator Al Golden said Monday, via ESPN. “Because we can’t do that to the offense and the special teams again.”
What Cincinnati’s defense did do was give up 181 rushing yards over the final two quarters to the Jets, who repeatedly wore down the Bengals’ defense and engineered an improbable comeback that was equal parts frustrating and embarrassing for the host team. When the dust settled on the shocking comeback, the Bengals walked away as the unlucky team responsible for New York’s first win of the 2025 season.
The last winless team in the NFL finally got in the win column by taking on a Bengals defense that has struggled for much of the season. Entering Monday night in Week 8, Cincinnati ranks last in passing yards allowed per game (407.9) and rushing yards allowed per game (151.9), and 30th in passing yards allowed per game (256). The Bengals also have the league’s worst defense, allowing 31.6 points per game.
As the Bengals approached the 2025 season, most people knew what Cincinnati had in their offense. The main concern was on the defensive end, where Golden arrived from Notre Dame to replace Lou Anarumo and try to revitalize a unit that was a strain in 2024.
There were plenty of concerns surrounding the pass rush, which thankfully welcomed back Trey Hendrickson after a lengthy contract dispute. But even the most stubborn skeptics probably couldn’t imagine the unit being that bad.
New York’s performance was historic: The Jets’ 23 points in the fourth quarter were the most points scored by a Jets team since Week 8 of the 2000 season.
Jets running back Breece Hall — responsible for 133 rushing yards and two rushing scores Sunday, along with the game-tying touchdown pass to tight end Mason Taylor that led to the game-winning extra point — wasn’t even born the last time New York accomplished such a feat.
The defensive results would be a serious concern for any NFL club. For these Bengals, it’s a continuation of the struggling defense that cost them a handful of wins last season when Joe Burrow and Co.
Coach Zac Taylor placed more emphasis on fundamentals and believed improvement in that department could fix many holes in this defense. Golden, meanwhile, pointed toward the explosive plays that have proven devastating to Cincinnati’s chances at victory.
“We can’t for whatever reason, we can’t get rid of the non-conformists that break your back,” he said. “I’ve got to break through there and give them a way to succeed there — that’s on me — and just eliminate those plays because there’s some really great stuff on the other side of it.”
The “great things” are evident in the play of cornerback DJ Turner, who entered Sunday on a hot streak, putting together a string of performances that garnered national attention. Rookie linebacker Demetrius Knight Jr. has played in his first season and leads the Bengals in tackles through eight weeks. Hendrickson entered 2025 with a streak of 17.5 sacks, and while he has just four to his name through eight games this season, he remains the top receiving threat from opposing offenses.
But these contributions are not nearly enough to make up for the many mistakes this unit has made. Sunday’s massive disappointment — a loss that seemed almost certain to turn into a win when the Bengals had a 38-24 lead with 10:21 left in the game against a team with a bottom-quarter offense — shouldn’t come as a surprise to most, as this has been Cincinnati’s reality for more than a year.
But if the Bengals are going to overcome the loss of Burrow and claw their way into a playoff spot, they will have to fix the mistakes on the defensive end.
“It’s not about pointing fingers,” Golden said. “It’s not about that. It’s about what can we do better, what can I do better and how do we get it fixed so we don’t have to experience it again.”