Familiar problem came back to haunt the Bengals again against the Bills, and the solution is nowhere in sight
Tight ends remain the bane of the Bengals’ existence.
Sunday’s loss to the Buffalo Bills featured quite a few rarities for the Cincinnati Bengals. It was just the fifth time in 39 games the Bengals lost under Zac Taylor when they had an 11-point lead. It was the second time this season they blew a halftime lead of at least 10 points.
But it was not the first time tight ends picked them apart.
Buffalo’s TE trio of Dawson Knox, Dalton Kincaid, and Jackson Hawes all had significant impact in beating Cincinnati. Knox led the Bills in receiving with six receptions for 93 yards. Kincaid was second with four receptions for 41 yards and a touchdown that sparked their second-half comeback. Hawes sealed the deal with his touchdown that made it a two-score game with only 3:03 remaining in the fourth quarter.
It’s not always been three different tight ends having success against Cincinnati, but the position group in general has reached an undeniable level of dominance against the Bengals this year.
Bengals’ issues against tight ends continue killing them
There are four games left on Cincinnati’s schedule, but opposing tight ends have already inflicted the kind of damage an All-Pro receiver would have after a full regular season’s worth of opportunities.
108 receptions for 1,370 yards and 15 touchdowns? That would get you Offensive Player of the Year consideration.
Every week the Bengals are expected to give up a massive day to whomever is lining up at TE for the other team, and the problem is not exactly solvable in the short term.
Rookie linebackers remain huge liability for Cincinnati’s defense
The tight end position is specifically tearing up the Bengals’ defense as the middle of the field has been where they’ve been at their weakest in coverage this season. Rookie linebackers Barrett Carter and Demetrius Knight Jr. have allowed a combined 97 receptions for 1,109 yards and seven touchdowns through the air, per Pro Football Focus.
Over half of Knox’s 93 yards, 47 of them to be exact, came against Carter. Another 32 came with Knight as the closest defender.
Cincinnati made this bed by dealing away Logan Wilson at the NFL trade deadline a few weeks after benching him for Carter. The rookies are not coming off the field at this point, and they’ve shown very minimal progress in terms of improving their awareness in coverage.
It’s the easiest section of the scouting report against the Bengals. Tight ends are set up for massive output, and until Carter and Knight play significantly better or coverage adjustments are made, this will remain the expectation for the rest of the season.
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