Missed Tackles Still Holding Cincinnati Bengals Defense Back

The Cincinnati Bengals defense has an encouraging week one game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a lot of ways. They forced four turnovers, had four sacks, and seemed to get pressure on Baker Mayfield at a high rate. They held a strong Buccaneers offense to 20 points and really helped win the game for the Bengals.

The defensive line looked dominant for stretches, and the linebackers really looked improved from last season. However, one thing really is still holding the Bengals defense back from taking a huge next step. The Bengals missed far too many tackles against the Buccaneers.

Last season, missed tackles were an enormous problem. The Bengals defense had 171 missed tackles in 2025, leading the league. In week one this season, the Bengals defense missed 13 tackles already, per PFF, which is far too many for a defense that needs to be better than the disaster they were in 2025.

While the young linebacker duo looked much improved, PFF had Demetrius Knight Jr. and Barrett Carter with three missed tackles each. Both players looked much improved this year so far, with Knight even scoring a touchdown on a fumble recovery, but if they want to take that next step and really help take the Bengals defense to the next level, they have to start tackling better.

Now this is just the first game of the season, and the Buccaneers have multiple players that are hard to bring down, so this certainly could improve in a big way in Week 2 against the Texans. If Knight, Carter, and company can cut down on the missed tackles, with how the defensive line played week one, this could be one of the better defenses in the NFL.

The Bengals defense really helped bring that week one win home for the Bengals, but it still had its flaws. Having 13 missed tackles is still far too many, and it’s something they will have to work on as the season progresses. If they can, this defense could be very good. However, if they don’t get better, it will be another frustrating season for this defense.