The Cincinnati Bengals (3-5) let one get away to an 0-7 New York Jets team.
It was an epic failure, which means there are epic lessons to be learned. Here are just a few of them:
The defense is incapable of closing games
Joe Flacco has played exceptionally well since the second half against the Green Bay Packers.
But in all three of his games, Flacco and the offense have had to deal with the defense getting absolutely thrashed late in games.
In the last three fourth quarters, Cincinnati’s defense gave up 17 points to the Packers, 14 points to the Pittsburgh Steelers, and 23 to the Jets. That is nothing short of pathetic, and there are no indications that defensive coordinator Al Golden has the answers.
Zac Taylor is feeling the heat
For all his weaknesses, the head coach has always done a fantastic job of protecting his players in the media.
But in his postgame interview, he seemed desperate to deflect blame, saying the team needs “guys to step up,” though he didn’t want to call anyone out by name.
Of course, that is somewhat meaningless considering the number of leaders who have been benched or jettisoned in recent years.
No doubt, the defensive performance against New York was a disaster, and some of that blame has to go to the head coach.
Joe Flacco is a smart man
It’s hard to imagine a QB adjusting better to an organization than the 18-year veteran has to the Bengals.
Even in a loss, Flacco looked sharp, making the right calls, time and time again.
And a week after targeting Ja’Marr Chase 23 times, he did it 19 times against New York.
That is an almost hilarious amount of targets, but perfectly justified, proving Flacco knows what it takes to get an offense going and will do what he sees fit.
Samaje Perine still has a lot to offer
All of a sudden (largely thanks to Flacco), the running game has become one of the best in the league.
And, despite being 30 years old, Perine looks as good as he ever has, averaging over six yards a carry on the season, including a hefty 10.4 yards per carry and a touchdown against the Jets.
All hope is not lost
Losing to a winless team that was forced to unbench Justin Fields feels like the nail in the coffin, but with the Steelers losing to the Packers, the Bengals are only a game and a half out of first place in the division.
And the Flacco-led offense looks just as dangerous as Joe Burrow’s offense last year, which was in most games, only narrowly missing the playoffs, despite a porous defense.
The defense this year is young, and the coordinator is new, so there is a chance that something clicks, and the team is able to string together a win streak. Never say never.
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