After two weeks of shutting down any negative conversation surrounding the Cincinnati Bengals’ defense, the unit reverted back to its old ways in the 30-27 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sept. 27.
Safety Jordan Battle said that in hindsight, the week of preparation heading into the Week 3 game in Pittsburgh was indicative of the final result. Battle said that last week the Bengals’ defense wasn’t up to standard.
“I feel like last week our preparation wasn't as good as it has been early on in the year,” Battle said. “I feel like this week we've been much better. You know energy-wise, intent going into the week. I feel like we understand like that was probably our wake-up call that we needed, and I feel like we're back in the right headspace.”
Battle has been limited in practice each day this week ahead of the Bengals’ upcoming home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. He suffered an injury to his hamstring against the Steelers and is playing through some discomfort but said he’s “very close” to being 100%.
The Bengals need Battle at his best given the injuries that are piling up in the secondary. Safety Bryan Cook is dealing with an ankle injury, and backup safety Kyle Dugger has yet to practice this week with a quadricep injury.
Cincinnati is also dealing with adversity at the cornerback position. Slot cornerback Jalen Davis going on injured reserve impacts the position because Dax Hill now has to move from outside cornerback inside to fill Davis’ role, leaving an opening at outside cornerback opposite DJ Turner II. It’s worth noting that Turner popped up on the Bengals’ injury report on Oct. 1 as a limited participant with an ankle injury.
The Bengals are playing a game of musical chairs in the secondary. This means players like Battle will have to elevate their games to make up for deficiencies elsewhere. And Jacksonville is no easy foe to deal with.
“I feel like guys understand what we got to do this week,” Battle said. "(We) got a good opponent; they're the top of the top when it comes to offense in the league, and they feel like they're at the top of the AFC right now, so it's a good chance for us respond.”
Jacksonville is averaging 27.3 points per game (10th in the NFL) and average 119.3 yards on the ground (10th).
The Bengals allowed too many yards on the ground (138) in the loss to the Steelers. Cincinnati didn’t tackle well enough, and according to Battle, didn’t bring the physicality necessary.
Battle said the defensive backs realized they need to be more intentional and violent after watching the tape of the game against the Steelers. Regardless of who’s playing opposite Battle at safety, he has confidence the Bengals will play better on defense against the Jaguars.
“I feel like maybe we got a little lackadaisical because we had a good two weeks, a little drunk off success, but I feel like we got the wakeup call we needed to go into this game," he said.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: 'We got the wake-up call we needed.' Bengals defense ready to respond
