Bengals' Problems Against Tight Ends Are the Worst the NFL Has Ever Seen

CINCINNATI – Two weeks ago the Cincinnati Bengals were on pace to set NFL records for catches, yards and touchdowns allowed to tight ends.

After facing the Baltimore Ravens and Buffalo Bills in the last two games, the Bengals are on a course to not just break but obliterate those marks.

Bills tight ends Dalton Kincaid, Dawson Knox and rookie Jackson Hawes combined to catch 11 passes on 13 targets for 137 yards and two touchdowns Sunday in the 39-34 victory against the Bengals at Highmark Stadium.

While 137 yards by tight ends are a lot, for the Bengals it was only the fourth highest total of the year.

New England had 154 in Week 12, and Pittsburgh had 141 in Week 7.

And then there was Week 13 on Thanksgiving, with Baltimore tight ends Mark Andrews and Isiah Likely recording 10 catches on 13 targets for 159 yards.

The Ravens’ 159 yards are not only the most allowed by the Bengals this year, they’re also the most by any Cincinnati defense since Washington had 192 in the 2016 London game.

Through 13 games this year, the Bengals have allowed 98 catches, 1,267 yards and 15 touchdowns against opposing tight ends.

And the gap between them and the next worst defense in each category is as enormous as the space between tight ends and the closest Cincinnati defender on many receptions.

The Bengals lead the Seahawks (88) by 10 receptions. The Dolphins are a distant third with 83.

The Bengals lead the Seahawks by an insane 334 yards allowed.

The NFL record for biggest gap between the worst defense and next to last in a season is 318 by the 1973 Bills.

The 15 touchdowns Cincinnati has allowed are 40 percent more than the second worst defense, with Washington surrendering nine scores.

Not only are the Bengals on pace to break the Super Bowl-era record in all three categories, they already rank in top three in each one with four games still to play.

And one of those games is a rematch against Andrews and Likely next week.

And another is against Arizona's Trey McBride, who leads all tight ends in receptions (93), receiving yards (937) and touchdowns (8).

Receptions

2016 Cowboys, 120

2025 Bengals, 111

* 2025 Bengals pace, 145

Receiving Yards

2015 Giants, 1303

2015 Saints, 1,290

2025 Bengals, 1,267

* 2025 Bengals pace, 1,657

Touchdowns

2013 Cardinals, 17

2019 Cardinals, 16

2025 Bengals,15

* 2025 Bengals pace, 20

They’ve obviously already blown past the previous franchise lows.

The 2024 Bengals held the record for catches allowed with 107.

The 2016 team had the most receiving yards allowed with 1,154.

And three teams – 2024, 2018 and 1997 – shared the record with 10 TDs surrendered.

Four tight ends have set career highs against the Bengals this year.

Two of them are rookies, but Hunter Henry is in his 10th season, and his 115 yards a few weeks ago were his most in 132 career games.

Pat Freiermuth’s 111 in Week 7 were the second most in his career behind the 120 he had against the Bengals in 2023.

Four of Freiermuth’s top five games are against Cincinnati.

Likely’s 95 on Thanksgiving marked the third highest total of his career. His record is 111. He also had 103 vs. the Bengals in 2023.

Knox’s 92 on Sunday ranked as the third highest of his career.