I'm Getting Strong 2010 Vibes

[Luvnit2]

(10 hours ago)rfaulk34 Wrote: I don't know too many that have high expectations. I'm thinking a middling group is all they need. As close to 16 as they can be, but i think even a 20th ranked D gets them into the playoffs. Anything above 16th would just be icing on the cake. 

This is spot on.

Bengals gave up 348 points a game which was 25th in league. If they improve 20 yards per game, they would be around 13th.
https://www.foxsports.com/nfl/team-stats?category=defense&season=2024

Points per game 25.5 or 26th in 2024. Improve 2 points and they are 19th.

My point is Bengals don't need to go to top 5 defense in 2025 with our NFL as you said. To get around 20th in yards allowed and points allowed is not a huge leap.