Surprise! Bengals winning with defense
CINCINNATI (AP) – On their way to the AFC North title last season, the Cincinnati Bengals’ defense collapsed in the final weeks, leaving the onus on Carson Palmer to pull them through. This time, the defense is pulling its weight.
A 13-7 victory over the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday night left Cincinnati (7-5) in good position to make the playoffs as a wild card team. The Bengals are a half-game behind Kansas City and Denver for those two spots, with a game left against the Broncos.
It’s a remarkable turnaround from three weeks ago, when the defense couldn’t stop anything, players were grumbling and it looked like the Bengals were finished.
Instead of pulling them down, the defense has pulled them through.
“It’s a long season,” safety Madieu Williams said. “We didn’t get off to the best start, but each week we’re getting better. There’s no secrets. We’re not doing anything special.”
For a Bengals team, this defense has been as special as it gets.
It pulled off Cincinnati’s first shutout in 17 years last Sunday, 30-0 in Cleveland. Then, it shut out the Ravens until only 1:01 remained on Thursday night.
The seven points in two games are the fewest allowed by any defense in team history during back-to-back games. The seven quarters without allowing a point also is a franchise first.
Even their celebrated offense is having to take a back seat.
“All I know is they’re playing well,” receiver Chad Johnson said. “We almost had our second shutout in a row. They’re playing REALLY well.”
That’s rarely been the case.
During coach Marvin Lewis’ first three seasons in Cincinnati, the defense failed to become a dominating unit. Last season, the Bengals made the playoffs for the first time in 15 years because their high-powered offense was able to overcome a defense that allowed an average of 30 points over the last seven games.
It looked like another lost season ahead when the defense gave up 42 second-half points – another franchise first – during a 49-41 loss to San Diego on Nov. 12 that left the Bengals marooned at 4-5. Safety Dexter Jackson said afterward that some of his teammates gave up in the second half.
A week later, the defense gave up 595 yards in New Orleans, but came up with a pair of end zone interceptions that set up a turning-point victory. The defense was ranked last in the league, but it had contributed to a win.
The last two games have been a dramatic difference. The Ravens crossed midfield only once in the first three quarters, an indication of Cincinnati’s domination.
The turnaround isn’t the result of wholesale lineup changes or substantial changes in schemes. Since Jackson’s outburst after the San Diego meltdown, the defense has been playing more aggressively.
“We have everyone wanting to make plays,” Jackson said. “That’s what makes a great defense. It’s contagious.”
Lewis liked what Jackson said after the San Diego game, though he wished the safety had said it privately instead of to the media.
“I think what Dexter said was good,” Lewis said Friday. “He said first look at yourself, then you move forward. That’s what happens when you go low – you’ve got to start somewhere. You go all the way down, as low as you can get, and you’ve got to start building back up.”
With its confidence rebuilt, the defense was the difference against Baltimore (9-3), which had a chance to clinch the AFC North title. The Ravens lost because they gave up one big play – Palmer’s 40-yard flea-flicker touchdown pass to T.J. Houshmandzadeh – and couldn’t move the ball against an inspired defense.
“We felt in the second quarter that we had their number on defense, that they were going to do a good job and slow them down,” Palmer said. “And when you can go into a game with that mindset, it changes your mindset offensively. When the defense plays like that, it takes pressure off us offensively.”
The defense also is giving the Bengals a sense that another playoff appearance is possible, and perhaps even likely.
“If we finish playing the way we are, we’ll be fine,” Jackson said.