Cincinnati Bengals’ Biggest Concern Defensively in Embarrassing Week 1 Loss to New England Patriots

While they were the heaviest favorite to win a relatively soft matchup against the New England Patriots in the first week of the season, the Cincinnati Bengals fell hard against arguably one of the worst teams in the NFL.  It is hard to find a positive as the usually explosive offense was suppressed all game long and the defense was completely dominated on the ground.  While everyone from head coach Zac Taylor to elite quarterback Joe Burrow echoed the same theme of film study after the disheartening defeat, what parts of the game should worry the fanbase?

While it is easy to cast doubts toward the offense, there is enough firepower on the offensive side of the ball to at least mitigate some concerns.  The same cannot be said about the defense as the 29th-ranked unit in the NFL in 2023 looked like they took a sizeable step back after they were completely overpowered by the Patriots’ offensive front, including former Cincinnati reject offensive guard Michael Jordan.  While there were some signs of life from the secondary, the defensive edge was arguably the biggest concern for Cincinnati.