What Could The Bengals Be Without Defensive Struggles And Injury Woes?

The Cincinnati Bengals might be the biggest tragedy in the past five years in the NFL.

I know, the Titans and the Browns still exist, and they are both tragic examples of bad roster assembly, performance, and seemingly luck. But the Bengals are a tale of sadness in a different way.

On offense, there might not be a team in the league that can match their talent at the skill positions. Chase Brown is an underrated multipurpose back who is as good a receiver as he is a runner.

At wide receiver, they have arguably the best receiver in the NFL in Ja’Marr Chase, who tag teams with Tee Higgins, a guy who would be the unquestioned No. 1 receiver on at least 20 teams in the league.

And at quarterback, they have…Joe Burrow. Need I say more? 

When all these guys are humming, any defense that faces them will have their hands full. Just ask the Miami Dolphins, who had the unfortunate distinction of seeing these guys play at their best, all at the same time.

Yikes. That’s a scary offense.

You may ask, why haven’t these guys already won a title (they lost in 2021), and why won’t they be in the playoffs this year?

That’s because football, unfortunately for Cincinnati, is not merely about having a good offense.

Since Burrow entered the league in 2020, only once has Cincinnati boasted a defense that was in the top 15 in points allowed, and they have never been higher that 16th in yards allowed per game. Sure, it's nice when your offense can score 28 without breaking a sweat, but if your defense lets up 35 on the regular, that’s not a winning formula.

MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA - DECEMBER 21: Joe Burrow #9 of the Cincinnati Bengals looks to pass while pressured by Zach Sieler #92 and Tyrel Dodson #25 of the Miami Dolphins in the second quarter of a game at Hard Rock Stadium on December 21, 2025 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)

Then there are the injuries. While Higgins has undergone some injuries in his career, Burrow has suffered the injury bug the worst. He has suffered five injuries that caused him to miss time in six seasons. That’s a brutal pace, and because he’s the quarterback, those injuries are more devastating for the team.

The Bengals have an embarrassment of riches on offense to win a title. If they could assemble even an average defense, or keep their best players healthy, we'd be looking at a team that could have multiple titles since 2020.

And that’s a massive tragedy.