The Bengals gave up 145 points in the first five weeks of the year, which was good for 31st in the league, and their defensive shortcomings were the biggest reason why they were 1-4 going into Sunday night’s game.
Sunday night found that defense in a much better place. The Bengals shut the Giants out in the first half and left New Jersey with a 17-7 win that they hope will be the springboard to greater success. For that to happen, they’ll need that unit to keep living up to head coach Zac Taylor’s expectations.
“What I see every single day of the week – just a resilient group that goes about it the right way, believes in each other, believes in what we’re doing,” Taylor said, via a transcript from the team. “And that’s what I expect to see from those guys. And this was a great way – on Sunday Night Football, in front of the world – for them to show who they are because that’s what we see every day, and that’s the blueprint.”
Sunday night was definitely the blueprint and the future will tell us if it is one the Bengals can follow on a regular basis.
