Steelers and Bengals on cusp of unmatched futility: Both defenses could make unfortunate NFL history in Week 9
The Bengals and Steelers have had two of the worst defenses in the NFL this year
The Cincinnati Bengals and Pittsburgh Steelers have had two of the worst defenses in the NFL this year, and they haven't just been bad, they've been historically bad.
Both teams are on the cusp of making some unfortunate NFL history this week. Let's start with the Bengals, who will be hosting the Chicago Bears on Sunday. Going into this game, the Bengals statistically have the worst defense in the NFL: They've given up the most total yards per game (407.9) and the most points per game (31.6). They've also given up the most rushing yards in the league and the third-most passing yards.
The Bengals have given up at least 27 points and 350 yards in seven straight games, which is tied for the longest streak in NFL history, according to CBS Sports Research (The Bengals are tied with the 1966 Oilers, 2004 Chiefs, 2020 Jaguars). If the Bears can top the 27-point mark on Sunday and put up at least 350 yards, then the Bengals will become the first team in NFL history to surrender those numbers in eight straight games. That is definitely not history you want to be making.
Let's take a look at the streak:
Bengals' opponent | Opponent yards | Opponent points |
Week 2: Jaguars | 400 | 27 |
Week 3: Vikings | 352 | 48 |
Week 4: Broncos | 512 | 28 |
Week 5: Lions | 365 | 37 |
Week 6: Packers | 409 | 27 |
Week 7: Steelers | 396 | 31 |
Week 8: Jets | 502 | 39 |
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.
Bengals defensive end Myles Murphy was asked what the players were hoping to accomplish with the meeting.
"It's a different perspective," Murphy said this week. "Every day we hear coach [Al Golden], every day we hear [defensive line coach Jerry Montgomery], but it's different when it's coming from a vet, a teammate, a rookie, whoever. It's different when it's coming from a teammate. It's very encouraging to hear what your teammate's thinking so that you know that we're on the same page so that you know that you can take the next steps.
As bad as things are for the Bengals, you could argue that they're actually worse in Pittsburgh. After ranking near the bottom of the NFL last year in nearly every statistical measure, no one expected the Bengals defense to be great this year, but the Steelers definitely had high expectations going into the season.
With T.J. Watt leading the way, the defense was expected to be a bright spot for the Steelers, but instead, the unit has imploded. The Steelers have given up the most passing yards in the NFL this year (273.3), which is by far the worst in the league. No other team is even surrendering 260 yards per game.
The Steelers defense hasn't called a players only meeting just yet, but veteran Cam Heyward, who has been in Pittsburgh since 2011, has issued a challenge to every defensive player in the locker room.
"We all have to get better," Heyward said, via the team's website. "I challenge everybody. I challenge myself first and foremost. That's always the way I've been raised. You can't look at anybody else. You've got to look at yourself."
Heading into Week 9, the Steelers have given up at least 30 points and 450 yards in two straight games while forcing zero turnovers, which is tied for the second longest streak in NFL history. If the Colts top 30 points with at least 450 yards and don't turn the ball over against Pittsburgh on Sunday, that will be three straight games where the Steelers have given up those numbers, which would tie the 2020 Detroit Lions for the longest streak in NFL history.
Besides the Steelers, the only teams to even do this twice are the 1980 49ers, 1987 Falcons, 2014 Panthers, 2016 Bears and 2024 Cowboys. Those five teams plus the 2020 Lions have something in common: None of them finished the year with a winning record, so the Steelers will have to defy NFL history if they want to get to just nine wins.
Finishing with a winning record in Pittsburgh is a big deal because Mike Tomlin, who has never had a losing record during his 18 full seasons with the Steelers. Overall, the Steelers haven't had a losing record since 2003, which means they've finished .500 or higher in 21 straight seasons, which is tied with the the Cowboys (1965-85) for the longest streak in NFL history. If the Steelers finish above .500 this year, they'll break the record, but with the way the defense is playing, there's no guarantee that's going to happen.
The Steelers and Bengals are currently the top two teams in the AFC North, but neither of them are favored to win the division and their defensive play has a lot to do with that. The 3-5 Ravens are currently favored to win the division and if you want to know why, we broke it down here.
