Cincinnati Bengals

Bengals Defense Needs To Man Up Before Facing Brady

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

foxsports

Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

The Bengals defense was shredded in Week 5. Tom Brady and the New England Patriots are waiting in Foxboro. It’s time to man up.

When the season started, there wasn’t much reason to believe the Cincinnati Bengals would struggle. A come from behind win over the New York Jets signaled the year would start like it did in 2015. The Bengals would dominate their competition and roll into the playoffs. But, going into their Week 6 battle with the Patriots, the defense is reeling. The defense needs to man up in the worst way.

The 28-14 beatdown by the Dallas Cowboys was a wake-up call. The Bengals defense was pushed around like a cheap toy truck. Ezekiel Elliott ran for 134 yards and looked nothing like a rookie. A huge part of Elliott’s success was due to the Dallas O-line. The Cowboys offensive line created huge holes and embarrassed the Bengals front four.

Not only did the front four look lost, the rest of the defense was just as bad. Dak Prescott looked like the second coming of Roger Staubach. The rookie needed only 18 completions to get 227 yards on the Bengals’ secondary. Yeah, that’s right. Prescott was close to a first down with each connection.

Let’s be real. The Bengals are going to lose games. This isn’t the miracle season of last year when the Orange and Black rolled to an 8-0 record. In fact, this team is actually missing a few key pieces. Could the savvy decisions of the offseason be coming back to haunt the defense?

Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

Style Points

It wasn’t the fact that the Bengals lost. What made the loss so humiliating was the way they got slapped around. The Boys took their lunch money and made them like it. Cincinnati seemed like a kid wandering on the school ground after the bully stomps him. The worst part? The bully took his glasses and threw them over the fence.

More from Stripe Hype

Who’s the leader? Is there anyone to stand up and make things right? Adam Jones said the Bengals need a gut check. He said it with no hesitation or fear of what fans would think. The whuppin’ came after Jones gave the Dallas O-line praises. But, this time, it wasn’t so funny.

“We are going to have to do some gut checking. Everybody needs to take a deep look at themselves and figure out how each person can get better to help the team.”

After watching the carnage Sunday, Jones’ sentiments are huge. The team needs to reach deep and find out what makes this year different. It’s easy to blame things on the roster changes. But, that happens all over the NFL. Other teams are able to adjust to personnel losses…why can’t the Bengals?

Six games don’t make a season. There’s a lot of football to be played. But. if things don’t get fixed in a hurry, the streak of playoff appearances is in jeopardy.

Tom Brady might not be a superhero but he looks and plays like one. It’s time for the Bengals to grab a little kryptonite for Week 6.

Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Have The Coaches Killed The Flame?

Where has the fire gone? Remember that feisty edge the Bengals used to have when they played defense? Somehow, it seems to have vanished. When Vontaze Burfict arrived back for Week 4 and the Phins, the energy level was high. Sunday’s showing was completely baffling.

When Bengals brass was faced with the departures of key coaches, the assured the fan base things would be fine. So far, the only consistent attribute the defense is showing…is kindness. How many times have fans witnessed Bengals players helping the opponent after a tackle? Last year, this was something that was rarely seen. It used to be about intimidation…now it’s a friendly buddy system.

Has the fear of getting penalties been drummed into their heads? On one hand, that’s a good thing. Yet, when the intensity is buried, that can be counterproductive. I used a huge word to say it sucks.

Kevin Coyle was the scapegoat for the first two weeks. Now, the lack of passion has spread throughout the entire unit. If the new coaches are supposed to be the best at their craft, this Bengals team should be on par with last year’s top-tier squad.

Jacob Burney replaced former defensive line coach Jay Hayes after he left for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Jim Haslett has been in charge of the linebackers. The fire…is gone.

Marvin Lewis backed every hire. His statement about Burney was classic.

“Jacob is a great taskmaster with tremendous experience. He started under Bill Belichick at Cleveland and has worked under some other great head coaches as well since he came into the league.”

If Burney is such a taskmaster…why is the line underachieving? Meh. The results of the players only meeting may have the answers. As for now, it’s time to man up.

This article originally appeared on