Bleav in Cincy

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The Bengals are like a super-manipulative party who convinces you they are going to change just as you are about to give up on the relationship. They lost the must win game a week ago, and yet a glimmer of hop appears in Cartier glasses.

Joe Burrow was a full participant at practice this week, which as we all know in light of the Lamar Jackson saga means he is not just practice but taking starter reps.

With Joe, anything is possible. It is not likely, but all of the sudden running the table doesn't seem crazy. Infeasible, sure, but not crazy. Of course, the Bengals will be without Ja'Marr Chase, who gave Jalen Ramsey a Romanowski hello last weekend. Still, where there is Joe Burrow, there is hope.

But does it even matter?

This defense isn't getting any better.

Al Golden told us after Week 1 that he didn't want to play Trey Hendrickson that much because it wasn't good for him, but that they had to in order to win. He nailed that take and he hasn't made a good call since (bada tish!). Seriously, Hendrickson was overworked and now he's hurt. The defense without him is... I don't even have a word. Whatever the opposite of "scrumtrulescent*" is.

The rookies who needed to step up defensively, have stepped left and right and do-si-doed, but definitely not stepped up. In fact, as the weeks go on and on, this unit is looking more and more like a complete overhaul.

Yeah, the defense is bad, so let's all just sit in the corner rocking back and former muttering to ourselves "Joe is coming, Joe is coming," like Bart Simpson at Kamp Krusty,

*"Scrumtrulescent" is a made-up word from an old Will Ferrell Saturday Night Live Sketch in which he played James Lipton from Inside the Actors Studio

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Jason and Alex are refreshed after the bye week, but they're not overly confident the Cincinnati Bengals used that week off to make any improvements that will matter.

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On this week's all new installment of Matt and Willie Know Ball, the ball-knowers hit on the two biggest topics of the bye week.

True, the Bengals defense may have given 88 points in the last two weeks, but if the Bengals had 17 seconds and Joesph Lee Burrow after Colson Loveland scored his go ahead touchdown for the Bears, wouldn't you have felt better about the situation? Granted, you still wouldn't have felt good, but better.

Joe Flacco has had this offense going on all cylinders. Under Joe Burrow, they really weren't. They won those first two games on the back of good defense. Does the Burrow effect extend to the defense through some kind of Tom Cruise witchcraft?

And What about Al Golden's unit? Could the defense be revamped after the bye? Could they have sat down and put together a plan to make this thing functional for the next few weeks? Can they be good enough to win?

I've got news for you. This division is still wide open. The Bengals play the Steelers, the Browns, and the Ravens twice. They are still very much in control of their own destiny.

The Steelers are in the lead, but crumbling.

The Ravens are looking better, but they have a touch road ahead. Check this. They play the Steelers twice, the Bengals twice, and the Patriots in a span of 5 weeks. That is an insane stretch.

10 games could be the division. 9 wins could even do it, if they were the right wins.

Sweep the division and you have got a shot.

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Darkness has fallen.

The Bengals beat the Steelers two weeks ago and everything was looking hunky-dory. Then came the New York Jets.

The Bengals had it and they lost it. There were defensive failings to be sure, but a lot of it was just losing the battle for those important inches. They should have won that game and they could have one that game with one defensive player stepping up and making a play. And yet, here we are.

With Trey Hendrickson sideline, the defense generated no pass rush and in turn the secondary struggled. The run defense saw guys out of position and massive holes opened up just like they did in August.

We were told this defense was less complicated, but is it?

Jordan Battle doesn't seem to think so.

Seriously, what is up with this defense?

Is it a coaching issue or a scouting issue?

It does make you feel differently about Lou Anarumo and even Teryl Austin. They didn't have the dudes and neither does Al Golden. Anarumo had them once, when Duke Tobin went on a hot streak drafting Germaine Pratt and Logan Wilson and signing Trey Hendrickson, D.J. Reader, and Chidobe Awuzie.

Players seem to be cutting bait and attempting to move on from this defense. That isn't really a surprise, particularly when you are talking about a benched veteran in Logan Wilson, who surely thinks that he can be a starter and young McKinnley Jackson who is eager for a shot but keeps seeing newcomers come in and surpass him on the depth chart.

Matt and Willie discuss all of this and more, including an odd concusses about Joe Pesci.

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Jason and Alex are back to discuss the Bengals' embarrassing defensive collapse and loss to the Jets in Week 8, their upcoming game against the Bears, and Alex shares some memories of his time at OSU with the recently passed Nick Mangold.

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