Jessie Bates says “If we don’t figure it out, some people won’t be here”

While Joe Burrow may be electric, the Cincinnati Bengals are not going to win a single game if they continue to give up 35 points to an offense that totaled just six in Week 1. Their season average is sitting at 25.5 opponent’s points per game, the 17th-worst in the NFL.

That said, after losing by five in an absolute shootout last Thursday night, second-year safety Jessie Bates was not happy about the team’s defensive performance. He opened up about his feelings towards the team’s defensive performance against their in-state rival.

“The talk that we had after that game wasn’t pretty. If we don’t figure it out, some people won’t be here,” Bates said, according to ESPN’s Ben Baby.

It’s tough to blame Bates for this type of response though.

After playing 93% of the team’s defensive snaps and giving up over 200 yards on the ground, Bates is ready for players to start taking ownership of their mistakes. He knows the potential this team has, and he’s taken their inability to perform personally.

While this defense has missed Geno Atkins to the fullest extend, there’s no excuse for this type of performance. While the Bengals fell behind early anyway, the defensive’s inability to get any stops broke the team’s back.

Burrow helped the team put up 30 of their own points, throwing three touchdowns. However, it ended up not being enough as the team played from behind after starting in a 14-3 hole.

To be fair, both the secondary and front line are both to blame.

The Browns’ second score of the game was a near 50-yard bomb to Odell Beckham Jr. While Baker had just two touchdowns and the bulk of their production was on the ground, the Bengals, as a unit, must be better.

They’ll get a banged up Eagles’ receiving corps this week in what will be the perfect time to rebound from an awful performance.