Although Joe Burrow's turf toe injury has certainly made matters worse, the Cincinnati Bengals (2-4) predictably own one of the worst defenses in the NFL this season. Their troubles may actually be worse than many people realize. Fourth-year cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt is a healthy scratch for Thursday's home game against the Pittsburgh Steelers (4-1), per The Athletic's Paul Dehner Jr. Trey Hendrickson is also inactive, via ESPN's Adam Schefter, as he nurses a hip injury.
Translation: this could be a tough night in Paycor Stadium. Fans expected Hendrickson to get ruled out for this AFC North matchup, but the Taylor-Britt news is quite surprising. Though, his performance has left much to be desired through five games. The 2022 second-round draft pick has allowed a 147.4 passer rating and 13.8 yards per reception, according to Pro Football Focus. He also has three missed tackles, making him hard to trust right now.
The question is, though, does a bottom-barrel secondary that is surrendering 258.5 yards per game (31st in NFL) have the depth to address Taylor-Britt's struggles? Bengals head coach Zac Taylor certainly hopes so, because the campaign is quickly slipping away from his team.
Can the Bengals save their season?
Extreme adversity was inevitable when Burrow went down in Week 2, but with veteran quarterback Joe Flacco now on the roster following a rare in-division trade, the hope is that Cincinnati can stay afloat until No. 9 potentially returns to action. The schedule opens the door for a possible turnaround, but it is irrelevant unless the defense can clean up its act. When a starter gets benched for reasons that are still not completely known, it is hard to express much confidence.
Nevertheless, the Bengals must press forward and treat this showdown with the Steelers as a season-defining moment. The cameras will likely catch a shot of Cam Taylor-Britt during the game, but this group must stay focused on the task at hand. Aaron Rodgers cannot be allowed to pick apart the secondary. Cincy's defense needs to play well above its head if it is going to end a four-game losing skid. Kickoff is at approximately 8:15 p.m. ET.
