The Bengals’ 47-42 loss to the Bears on Sunday was another defensive letdown from a team that has had a season full of them.
Cincinnati has already allowed 300 points this season, by far the most in the NFL, and the Bengals are on pace to break the all-time NFL record for the most points allowed in a season.
The Bengals’ average of 33.33 points allowed per game puts them on pace to give up 567 points in a 17-game season. That would be the worst ever, breaking the record of 534 points allowed set by the 2024 Panthers. And while this year’s Bengals and last year’s Panthers allowed more points than past teams in part because the season is longer now than it was in the past, the Bengals’ average of 33.33 points per game allowed is actually worse than any team ever allowed in a 16-game season as well.
For all the talk about how quarterback Joe Burrow’s injury doomed the Bengals’ season, the arrival of Joe Flacco has stabilized the offense. The Bengals’ problem is their defense, which is one of the worst the NFL has ever seen.
