Bengals defense finally showing some teeth again
CINCINNATI -- A few weeks back there was a little bit of finger pointing going on in the Bengals' locker room. Hold on, it's not what you might think. The Bengals weren't Giants West or anything like that. It's just that Cincinnati's defense wasn't pulling its weight -- last overall and last against the pass through 10 games -- and some of the guys on offense, among them wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh, took to teasing their defensive teammates about it. You know, all in good fun.
"We'd talk about it in the locker room," Houshmandzadeh said. "Not being serious. We'd say, 'Man, Ya'll the worst-rated defense in the league!'"
Except lately the Bengals' defense has been no joke. When their team's doing well the locals like to chant, "Who dey think dey gonna beat dem Bengals?" Perhaps the more accurate rhetorical question would be, "Who dey think dey gonna score on dem Bengals?"
Try 23 points allowed over a three-game winning streak that has the Bengals back in the playoff hunt. The Bengals, who came into the game ahead of only Tennessee in the battle for worst defense, were 61 seconds away on Thursday night from a second consecutive shutout. Cincinnati blanked Cleveland 30-0 just four days earlier. The seven points the Bengals have allowed over the past two games are the fewest they've given up over back-to-back games since 1993. The seven-plus consecutive scoreless quarters is a team record. And they kept the Ravens from scoring in two trips into the red zone.
"We don't have them [the defense], we lose these last two games," Houshmandzadeh said.
It's strange to see these Bengals win a game scoring one touchdown and 13 points. But that's just what they did in delaying Baltimore's coronation as AFC North champions and ending the Ravens' five-game winning streak. Baltimore had been on a roll since head coach Brian Billick started calling the plays on offense (22.2 points per game on offense, up from 16.5 with Jim Fassel at the controls) but all the Ravens could manage Thursday was Steve McNair's garbage-time, 36-yard touchdown pass to Derrick Mason.
Baltimore rushed for 89 yards -- the third straight opponent the Bengals have held under 100 -- and a 31-percent third-down conversion rate. Baltimore botched a scoring opportunity near the end of the first half when McNair killed the clock on third-and-1 from the Bengals' 11-yard line. Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis called timeout just before Matt Stover got off a successful 29-yard field goal attempt. On the next try, Matt Katula botched the snap, Sam Koch fumbled the hold, and Stover missed wide left. "You want to make the field goal kicker and the snapper think about it," Lewis said afterward. "Those guys like to do things in rhythm as much as they can."
It was just four games ago that the Bengals' defense was giving the team and its fans the blues. Cincinnati, remember, led San Diego, 28-7 at halftime here at Paul Brown Stadium back on Nov. 12. The defense simply collapsed, allowing 42 second-half points in a 49-41 loss that dropped Cincy to 4-5.
So what's happened since then? Or, rather, Who day playing defense for the Bengals now? Granted, they allowed close to 600 yards (but took it away four times) against New Orleans the following week and haven't exactly faced offensive juggernauts in the Browns and Ravens. Still, one touchdown over two games isn't easy.
"We basically looked at the film and threw up. Everybody had a trash can next to them," linebacker Brian Simmons said, only half joking, of the Chargers game. "We looked at it and said that's not us.
"We're playing for 60 minutes now, that's the thing. Before we'd put together a great half or a great three quarters and then do something stupid. After the San Diego game, the first half we had and then the second half when we basically stunk it up, guys were disappointed in that. That hurt a lot of guys here. I think we started looking at the scoreboard too early and they still had a second half of football to play.
"We're staying focused. That's the biggest turnaround."
The Bengals could have put up a turnstile at the second level of their defense what with all the people who've been in and out of the lineup at linebacker. Remember last year's Defensive Rookie of the Year, Odell Thurman, is out for the year (league suspension) and David Pollack, last year's first-round pick, is on injured reserve. Simmons returned Thursday night after a four-game absence because of a pinched nerve in his neck. The Bengals have had a different starting trio almost weekly. Now they're starting undrafted rookie Rashad Jeanty on the strong side and former third-rounders Caleb Miller in the middle and Landon Johnson on the weak side.
Cincy shutdown B-more Thursday night with rookie Johnathan Joseph at one corner for the injured Deltha O'Neal and Domata Peko playing for inactive John Thornton at one tackle. The Bengals have been rotating Medieu Williams, Kevin Kaesviharn, Dexter Jackson and Ethan Kilmer at the safeties.
The Bengals have had to play a lot of faces in a lot of places, but the reason for the improved execution as of late has been simple.
"Our thing is to win on third down and we'll be all right," Lewis said. "We've got to take the football away and not give it away."
The Bengals have forced 10 turnovers and given the ball away only three times in the last three games.
"We knew the key to the football game was going to be third down, takeaways and tackling," Lewis continued. "We tackled better, didn't give up an explosive play. We were where you're supposed to be, and it made a big difference in the football game."
It makes it easy on the offense, as well. Carson Palmer and Co. don't have to win shootouts all the time. "We felt as an offense in the second quarter that we had their number on defense," said Palmer, who was an efficient 21-of-32 for 234 yards and a 40-yard touchdown pass to Houshmandzadeh in the third quarter off a flea flicker. "When you can go into a game with that mindset, it changes your mindset offensively. When the defense comes out and plays like that, it just takes pressure off us offensively.
"When your defense has their offense's number you don't need to take chances. You can take the check downs, the running backs can stay in bounds and keep the clock moving. We haven't had that mindset in a while."
We'll find out how much the Bengals have improved on that side of the ball Dec. 18 when they visit Indianapolis. Next week, though, the Bengals D figures to keep it going against the Raiders' woeful offense.
If Cincinnati is to play its way into the postseason it's going to take more than just the offense piling up yards and points. It's going to take a team effort. Balance. Perhaps the defense finally is capable of doing its part. For now, at least, the guys on defense don't have to worry about any ribbing from Houshmandzadeh.
"Guys are stepping up and playing good football," Houshmandzadeh said.
On both sides.
MORE NFL HEADLINES
- Schefter: On teams already looking to 2010
- Rumors: Kris Brown may be done in Houston
- Tools: PickCenter | Game Predictor
- Draft: Mel's Big Board (11/18) | NFL draft blog
