The Bengals hit rock bottom in Week 8 in a 39-38 home loss to the New York Jets where the visitors piled up 502 yards of offense, which is more than they had totaled in their past two games COMBINED (302). The performance was so bad that the Cincinnati defense called a players only meeting one day later .

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New York Jets linebacker Jamien Sherwood was benched during the first quarter of the Jets' NFL Week 8 game against the Bengals at Paycor Stadium.

Last year, the Bengals’ defense was bad enough to get coordinator Lou Anarumo fired. This year, the Bengals’ defense is making last year’s version look like the 1985 Bears.

After the Cincinnati Bengals picked McKinnley Jackson in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft, the defensive tackle did not take much time to become a crucial part of the Bengals’ roster. In his rookie season,

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Flacco (16) runs off before a field goal attempt in the fourth quarter of the NFL Week 7 game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Pittsburgh Steelers at Paycor Stadium in downtown Cincinnati on Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025. The Bengals won, 33-31. / Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Cincinnati Bengals defense ranks 30th in the NFL in points allowed per drive. After a tough 39-38 loss to the New York Jets, the defense held a players-only meeting on Monday.