Throughout the Cincinnati Bengals‘ winless start, their defense had trouble keeping opponents from racking up yards on the ground.
On Sunday in London, run defense wasn’t Cincinnati’s issue. It was trying to keep the Rams from reeling off big plays through the air. As one might expect given the state of both teams, it did not go well for the Bengals in the 24-10 loss at Wembley Stadium.
The Bengals allowed a season-high 372 passing yards, a number that could have been much higher had the game not slowed down in the second half. Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp accounted for 220 of those yards, which is tied for the third-best performance by an opponent in franchise history.
In Cincinnati’s previous seven losses, offenses opted to attack the NFL’s worst rushing defense with a slew of carries. But even with running back Todd Gurley on the roster, the Rams relied on quarterback Jared Goff to find the holes in the secondary. It didn’t help that Cincinnati was without two Dre Kirkpatrick and Darqueze Dennard.
The pass defense resembled the one that struggled often in 2018. During the Bengals’ final eight games of the season, figuring out if the defense has any strengths will be a top priority for a franchise that should be making evaluations across the roster.
Against the Rams, the pass defense was one of the reasons Cincinnati suffered its eighth loss in as many games, matching the franchise’s worst start to a season since 2008.
Biggest hole in the game plan: In case it wasn’t fairly obvious to those who watched the game, the Bengals couldn’t defend the passing attack in the middle of the field. The Rams constantly went after that section of Cincinnati’s secondary and constantly found success. According to NFL Next Gen, Goff completed all 11 of his attempts in the middle. That accounted for 200 of his 372 yards. And even though Cooper Kupp did most of the damage, he wasn’t alone. Josh Reynolds tallied 73 receiving yards and a 31-yard touchdown that was technically on the outside of the left hashmarks, albeit not by much.
Pivotal play: The game was tied at 10 in the second quarter until the Rams used a trick play that was the turning point of the game. Rams coach Sean McVay dialed up a flea-flicker off a reserve that found Kupp wide open. After Bengals cornerback B.W. Webb slipped, there was nobody left on that side of the field to make the play. Kupp turned a healthy gain into a 65-yard touchdown. All season, the Bengals have opted to keep safety Jessie Bates at the back of the defense. Part of the reasoning is to give opposing offenses different looks with safety Shawn Williams. However, on this play, Bates couldn’t cover enough ground in the back to keep Kupp out of the end zone.
QB breakdown: Andy Dalton responded well after a three-interception performance in the Week 7 loss to Jacksonville. Dalton opened against the Rams with 15-of-19 passing for 141 yards and a touchdown. His numbers dipped as the Bengals pressed for a comeback in the second half and finished with 32-of-51 passing for 329 yards and a touchdown. He missed a key throw to Auden Tate that could have been a big play and took a few sacks, but it was Dalton’s most well-rounded game since the season opener against Seattle, when he threw for 416 yards.
Silver lining: Bengals tight end Tyler Eifert enjoyed his best game of the season. The injury-prone veteran caught six passes for a season-high 74 yards. It was Eifert’s highest total since he tallied 74 yards in last year’s Week 3 game at Carolina.