Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Shemar Stewart (97) and defensive tackle Howard Cross III (95) prepare to take the field for the first quarter of the NFL Preseason Week 3 game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Indianapolis Colts at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati on Saturday, Aug. 23, 2025. The Colts led 24-7 at halftime. Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Bengals Handed Poor Grade For 2025 Preseason Due To One Big Reason

Originally posted on Cincinnati Bengals on SI
By Russell Heltman | Last updated Aug 29, 2025 1:23 AM ET

The Bengals had a rough showing with their (very) vanilla defensive looks this past preseason, and it prompted a poor grade from CBS Sports writer Tyler Sullivan.

He slapped Cincinnati with a "D" grade for the three games leading into the regular season.

"The 'D' certainly doesn't stand for defense because this is still a massive problem for Cincinnati," Sullivan wrote. "Unlike in years past, the Bengals decided to play their starters more in the preseason. To little surprise, Joe Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase, and the rest of the offense look dynamite. But that wasn't their problem last year. Defensively, the Bengals are showing the same warts that contributed to them being on the outside looking in on the playoff picture.

"As our pal John Breech details, here's how the Cincinnati starting defense fared this summer (they didn't play in the finale):

Drive 1 vs. Eagles backups: nine plays, 75 yards, touchdown
Drive 2 vs. Eagles backups: six plays, 47 yards, field goal
Drive 3 vs. Commanders starters: four plays, 74 yards, touchdown
Drive 4 vs. Commanders' backups: four plays, 44 yards, touchdown

It doesn't matter if Burrow and Chase look to be in midseason form if this defense can't slow down backups."

The Bengals are not as worried about this as people outside the building are. Zac Taylor has noted multiple times that the defense is getting strong run in practice, where they are actually using their entire defensive playbook to battle Burrow and the offense.

Logan Wilson echosing that by sayinh they used about "10-15%" of the defensive looks in the preseason, as they'll utilize in the regular season under Golden. Judging things based on the preseason (good or bad) always has to come with context and a second look. We wil start finding out for real next Sunday.