Aug 7, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Demetrius Knight Jr. (44) walks off the field at halftime against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

Bengals' Defense Ranks Dead Last in Multiple Categories After Late Collapse vs Jets

Originally posted on Cincinnati Bengals on SI
By James Rapien | Last updated Oct 27, 2025 8:45 AM ET

The Bengals defense is awful. You probably didn't need me to tell you that if you watched Sunday's 39-38 loss to the Jets.

The Bengals blew five double-digit leads throughout the game, including fourth quarter leads of 15 and 14 points, respectively.

"This game should have been over when it was 16-31, or 20-28, whatever the hell they had," a frustrated Ja'Marr Chase said. "It should have been over. It should have been over."

It wasn't.

This Bengals' defense was so bad that the Jets felt comfortable sticking with the run in the fourth quarter, despite trailing by two scores.

Breece Hall scored both of his touchdowns in the fourth quarter because they let him coast into the end zone. Plays like the one below are unacceptable:

Plays like this simply CANNOT happen.

Wtf is this? Breece Hall looked like he was going up against high schoolers. pic.twitter.com/G1nMQDEUy5
— James Rapien (@JamesRapien) October 27, 2025

Overall, the Bengals' defense is the worst in the NFL. That isn't just the eye test. The numbers back it up.

Cincinnati is giving up 31.6 points-per-game, which is dead last in the NFL. They're allowing 407.9 yards-per-game and 151.9 rushing yards-per-game. They're last in both categories. They allow 256 passing yards-per-game, which ranks 30th (third-worst) in the NFL.

They haven't had a sack since Geno Stone brought down Jordan Love in Week 6. Their defensive line is getting zero pressure. That unit (D-line) hasn't had a sack since Week 5 against the Lions.

The Bengals allowed Justin Fields and Hall to rack up 502 offensive yards on Sunday. The Jets have only reached that mark twice in 25 seasons. They didn't have their best offensive weapon in Garrett Wilson—and it didn't matter.

Is this loss the worst of the Zac Taylor era?

“I’m not into ranking losses—I’m into being frustrated that we lost this game," Taylor said. "It was right there for us to grab and create some momentum for ourselves, and we missed the opportunity. Quite simple You’ve got to give credit to the Jets. We had them down multiple times (by) big scores, and we just never delivered that knockout blow and they just kept hanging in there. They made play after play, and their confidence rose. And so then, they were able to get that win."

The Bengals are 3-5 following the loss. They are arguably the worst defense in the NFL and are now 1-5 without Joe Burrow on the field.