Bengals might have finally given Joe Burrow what he wants in a defense

The Cincinnati Bengals are 2-0 to begin the 2026 NFL season and are preparing to face the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 3 as they try to further cement their status atop the AFC North this season.

While Joe Burrow and the offense have had their moments through two weeks in wins over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Houston Texans, the biggest positive sign for the Bengals is their defense.

Burrow might finally have gotten the defense he's been looking for. ESPN's Ben Baby believes that this early-season breakout from the new-look defense is for real, and that Cincinnati's defensive line might finally be ready to wreak havoc.

Bengals might have finally fixed their defense for Joe Burrow

"The early surprise: The Bengals' defense is putting pressure on QBs. The verdict: Real," Baby writes. "... According to ESPN Research, the Bengals rank fifth in team pressure rate (40.2%) and are fourth in QB hit rate (20.5%)."

One key to having a successful defense is to field a strong defensive line. Through two weeks, it's been so far, so good for the Bengals.

Obviously, their matchups haven't been on the difficult side, with both the Buccaneers and Texans offensive lines having some question marks around them.

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Plus, their shaky quarterback play and questionable skill groups helped the Bengals put on a show early this season. But that doesn't take away from how impressive this defense has been to start the year.

Boye Mafe, Cashius Howell, Dexter Lawrence II, Jonathan Allen, along with returning linemen Myles Murphy, Shamar Stewart, and Kris Jenkins, have gotten off to a strong start.

Cincinnati has recorded eight sacks through two weeks, giving up just three touchdowns and only 149 rushing yards total. While their 569 passing yards allowed through two weeks is a lot, it's come from a lot of garbage-time production.

This Bengals defense might've finally made the leap the fans and Burrow have been hoping they would make. While there's room for improvement, so far, so good for the Bengals' defense in 2026.

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