Cincinnati Bengals: Historically Poor Defense Must Be Addressed During Bye Week
Joe Flacco threw for a career-high 470 yards in Week 9, but that didn't save the Bengals (3-6) from their porous defense.
Giving up a 58-yard touchdown pass with 17 seconds left to play, Cincinnati dropped a 47-42 decision to the Chicago Bears that left the Bengals stunned and frustrated. The Bengals' defense is ranked last in the NFL, and some of their metrics are historically bad.
Chicago's game-winning touchdown exemplified Cincinnati's vulnerability to yielding big plays. After Chicago's Colston Loveland made the catch, two Bengals safeties missed tackles – Jordan Battle and former Ravens safety Geno Stone. That allowed Loveland to escape and win a footrace to the end zone.
Flacco has injected life into the Bengals' offense since joining them in Week 6 and played lights out against Chicago despite entering the game with a shoulder injury.
It would be hard for the Bengals to ask more from Flacco, who rallied the Bengals from a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit. His final touchdown pass to Andrei Iosivas with 49 seconds left put the Bengals ahead by one point, but their defense couldn't hold. They have lost two straight games in which they scored at least 38 points.
The Bengals have a bye in Week 10 and need to find answers for their defense to have any chance of reaching the postseason. Running back Chase Brown was direct in sharing his thoughts with reporters following another improbable loss.
"We put the ball in the end zone and go up a point at the end, finish the [expletive] game," Brown said via Chris Roling of USA Today. "Just end it. That's it. That's what we need to do.
"That's how I feel. We have taken steps forward, offensively, so that's good. We are trying to control what we can control and do what we can do. Flacco fought like a warrior today with the way his shoulder was. Things aren't going to be perfect. We made things work on our end. We made mistakes, we learned from them, but we just kept on fighting. End of the day, you got to go to the very end."
Pittsburgh Steelers: Defense Answers Criticism With Takeaways
Pittsburgh leads the AFC with 16 takeaways and its defense forced six turnovers in a 27-20 victory over the Indianapolis Colts. The upset win halted a two-game losing streak for the Steelers (5-3), who hold a two-game lead over the second-place Ravens (3-5) in the division.
The Steelers had given up 68 total points in their two previous games, and their defense faced heavy criticism all week as they prepared to face the Colts (7-2). Pittsburgh's defense responded with an opportunistic performance that also produced five sacks.
"This was a statement game for us," cornerback Joey Porter Jr. said via Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com. "As a defense, we didn't like what we put out on film the last two weeks. We had to come out and make a point, and I think we did today."
Colts quarterback Daniel Jones had been red hot entering the game, but he struggled against the Steelers' relentless pressure, throwing three interceptions and losing two fumbles.
Jalen Ramsey moved from corner and played exclusively at safety for Pittsburgh with former Ravens safety DeShon Elliott (knee) out of the lineup, and the secondary responded. Porter thinks the Steelers are finding their defensive identity.
"We were really just talking about going back to that Steel Curtain, that gritty, that mean-mouth football that [we're] trying to get back and trying to find," Porter said. "We're looking for that, and we're finding that slowly."
Cleveland Browns: Losing Record Reportedly Won't Deter Buying at Trade Deadline
The Browns (2-6) are in the AFC North basement, but they reportedly hope to be buyers as Tuesday's trade deadline approaches, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.
According to Schefter, the Browns aren't inclined to trade tight end David Njoku and have been making calls to acquire more young talent.
Schefter reported last week that the Browns have no plans to trade star edge rusher Myles Garrett, who has expressed frustration with the team's record throughout the season.
Cleveland had a bye in Week 9 and will visit the New York Jets (1-7) in Week 10.
