Cincinnati Bengals: Historically Poor Defense Must Be Addressed During Bye Week

Joe Flacco threw for a career-high 470 yards in Week 9, but that didn't save the Bengals (3-6) from their porous defense.

Giving up a 58-yard touchdown pass with 17 seconds left to play, Cincinnati dropped a 47-42 decision to the Chicago Bears that left the Bengals stunned and frustrated. The Bengals' defense is ranked last in the NFL, and some of their metrics are historically bad.

Chicago's game-winning touchdown exemplified Cincinnati's vulnerability to yielding big plays. After Chicago's Colston Loveland made the catch, two Bengals safeties missed tackles – Jordan Battle and former Ravens safety Geno Stone. That allowed Loveland to escape and win a footrace to the end zone.

Flacco has injected life into

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