Make no mistake, the Bengals’ defensive issues are not new. Their on-field performance has been falling off ever since former defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer became the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings. When another former defensive coordinator Paul Guenther found his way out of Cincinnati, Marvin Lewis emphasized the importance of getting more turnovers as he found the replacement in Teryl Austin.
When they entered their bye week last week, the Bengals were last in the NFL in yards allowed, giving up an average of 447.8 per game. Yards, however, do not win or lose football games — points do.