Bengals' nightmare season hits the midway point at 3-6 after two devastating losses

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CINCINNATI (AP) — It’s ironic that one of the roads in front of the Cincinnati Bengals’ stadium is named Elm Street.

Given the Bengals’ season, marked by Joe Burrow’s Week 2 toe injury and a struggling defense, it has been quite a nightmare for fans used to disappointment.

After a 33-31 win over the Steelers on Oct. 16, optimism remained for the Bengals. Their next two home games against the Jets and Bears seemed winnable, offering a chance to climb above .500 and rejoin the AFC North race.

However, that optimism quickly faded.

Zac Taylor’s squad heads into the bye week following two devastating losses and a 3-6 mark. After blowing a 15-point fourth-quarter lead and falling to the Jets 39-38, the Bengals’ two-touchdown comeback in the final two minutes against Chicago went for naught. Caleb Williams connected with Colston Loveland for a 58-yard touchdown with 17 seconds left, giving the Bears a 47-42 victory.

The losses made the Bengals the first team since the 1966 New York Giants to score at least 38 points in consecutive games and lose both.

For a fan base wanting changes, Taylor said defensive coordinator Al Golden and his staff will remain in place.

“We’ve been through this situation many years and come out the other side, playing for championships, winning divisions, by sticking with what we believe in and not doing what everybody wants you to do,” Taylor said when asked why the status quo should be acceptable. “I’m thankful that in 2020 that they didn’t kick me out of here, so we were able to go to the Super Bowl the next year.

“I believe in the people that we’ve hired. I sit in there and watch these guys coach. I know what they’re made of. I know where we can continue to grow. So when you believe in people, you don’t just make a gut reaction from what people want to see that aren’t necessarily a part of it. I understand the frustration. I get it. I’d be frustrated, too, if I was outside the building.”

Golden was hired to turn around the defense after the Bengals lost four games last season while scoring at least 30 points. Now, with two more such losses this year, it marks the most in a two-year span in league history, according to Sportradar.

The defense is among the league’s worst in most categories and is the first since the 2012 Titans to allow at least 300 points in the first nine games.

Cincinnati is also the eighth team to allow at least 27 points in eight straight games, one off the in-season futility mark shared by the 2020 Los Angeles Chargers and 1964 Denver Broncos.

According to Next Gen Stats, the Bengals lead the league with 109 missed tackles totaling 778 yards, including 15 for 133 yards — 35 of which came on Loveland’s winning score when Jordan Battle and Geno Stone missed the tackle — against Chicago.

“I look at the angles, I look at the space. Close quarters, space tackles," Golden said. “I look at what we’re teaching and at the individual. We just have to find a better way to teach it and keep moving forward with it and keep addressing it.”

While wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase said he would “stay in his lane” and not criticize the defense after Sunday's loss, running back Chase Brown took a different tact.

“We put the ball in the end zone and go up a point at the end? Finish the game,” Brown said, adding an expletive, while in front of his locker after the game. “Like, just end it. That’s it. That’s what we need to do."

Taylor on Monday said he talked to Brown and noted there were a couple plays, including a dropped pass, where Brown could have done a better job.

“I can tell Ja’Marr’s frustrated, but he didn’t want guys coming at him if he had a poor performance or something that he was disappointed in,” Taylor said. “I trust that (Brown's reaction is) a one-time thing, and we’ll learn from that. That’s not how we want to react.”

If the defense can’t get fixed, it doesn’t matter who lines up at quarterback or if Burrow can return by mid-December, since there might not be anything left to play for.

Chase and Tee Higgins are excelling after signing big contract extensions. Chase leads the league with 76 receptions and ranks second with 831 yards. Higgins has 19 of his 32 catches and four touchdowns in the last four games.

While the passing game is prolific, the run game remains inconsistent. The Bengals are last in rushing, averaging 78.8 yards per game, and are third-least in yards before contact.

Joe Flacco is averaging a league-high 313.5 passing yards over his four Bengals starts. The 18-year veteran has won over teammates with his calm leadership and ability to play through a sprained throwing shoulder.

LB Logan Wilson and CB Cam Taylor-Britt played themselves out of the starting lineup with early season struggles.

RB Samaje Perine is expected to miss a couple of games with a high ankle sprain. ... DE Shemar Stewart (knee) will be re-evaluated after the bye.

1 — Charlie Jones became the only player with multiple kick returns for touchdowns since the dynamic kickoff rules were put in place last year. Jones went 98 yards up the left sideline to open Sunday’s game.

4 — Times in Taylor’s seven seasons the Bengals have been under .500 through nine games.

18 — The niumber of seasons since 1991 that Cincinnati has had three or fewer wins after nine games.

Cincinnati will travel to AFC North-leading Pittsburgh on Nov. 16, when it returns from the bye week, and then host AFC East-leading New England the following week. The Bengals’ next five games, including a pair against Baltimore, feature teams with a combined record of 24-17.

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AP freelance reporter Charlie Goldsmith contributed to this story.

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