The Cincinnati Bengals were touched up for 430 yards in a 44-13 loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Monday night. In a moment of brutal honesty, defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer stated the obvious.
"We didn't do anything Monday night," said Zimmer, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported. "We didn't rush passer, we didn't play the run good and we didn't cover. So, we got to do all three of those. We didn't play well in the red zone. We gave up a third-and-15, a third-and-9 in the red zone. We dropped balls, interceptions.
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"So, if we do those it doesn't matter who we are playing."
The Bengals' defense has allowed 400-plus yards nine times in five seasons under Zimmer.
"Hey, I have faith, which is belief without proof, in these players," Zimmer added. "I watch them every single day in practice. I am watching what they do. I believe, it hasn't wavered, we haven't proved it yet, so we have to go out and prove it.
"That is part of the game, you are going to get your nose rubbed in a little bit. Now we have to see what we have made out of us. We are going to see if we are going to fight or if we are going to lay down."
Life should get much better with the Browns and rookie quarterback Brandon Weedenvisiting Paul Brown Stadium. Cleveland posted a league-low 210 yards and tied for a league-high four interceptions in Week 1.
Follow Kareem Copeland on Twitter @kareemcopeland.
