The defense has been the problem in Cincinnati over the past few seasons. That is still the case for the Bengals in Week 11, especially with Trey Hendrickson out with an injury. It appears that Cincinnati's defense did practically nothing to figure out what's wrong during their bye week.
Cincinnati's defense did not get off to a great start after their bye week. The Bengals allowed a touchdown on their first defensive possession of the game.
One of the most embarrassing plays of the drive was a long running play by Steelers running back Jaylen Warren. He knifed through Cincinnati's defense, breaking multiple tackles and making Bengals defenders look foolish.
The play was so bad that Bengals reporter Kelsey Conway commented “where do you even begin with what's wrong with this from the Bengals defense?”
James Rapien added that the Bengals “have allowed a touchdown on their opening drive in seven of their 10 games” in 2025. This trend often puts the team in a vulnerable position early in the game. Then everything falls apart once that changes which plays the Bengals call on both sides of the ball.
But Cincinnati's defense deserves some credit for tightening up after the first drive.
The Bengals have not allowed points since that opening drive. They've also limited Pittsburgh to 129 total yards deep into the second quarter. Unfortunately, the offense has only put together one touchdown of their own.
If Cincinnati's defense continues to play like they have after the opening drive, then the Bengals have a chance to win this game.
The Bengals are down 6-7 but the Steelers have the ball with less than two minutes left before halftime.
