NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The Bengals’ defense is 28th versus the run and 25th versus the pass. The statistics match the poor Bengals’ defensive personnel.
Cincinnati traded longtime defensive end and pass rusher Carlos Dunlap this week to the Seattle Seahawks.
Veteran defensive tackle Geno Atkins is not the same player he once was. He relied on quickness, balance and body control with outstanding hand use, and was a disrupter and productive run-down player and pass rusher. But he is now slower off the snap and lacks the size and strength to make up for his dip in quickness.
With the decline of Atkins and trade of Dunlap, the Bengals defense lacks a front-line NFL player. That means the Bengals have average NFL starters or backup level players on their defense.
Matchups against the Bengals' defense
