The Bengals don’t exactly have the personnel necessary to make lineup changes, either. Rookie Shemar Stewart is on injured reserve. Trey Hendrickson is hurt. They went torched Earth at linebacker and have nobody else to turn to, plus, they never attempted to upgrade the safety position last year.

CINCINNATI — We are quickly approaching mock draft season early for the Bengals. The team is 3-7 and has a strong chance to earn a top-10 pick for the second time in the Joe Burrow era.

Now that the season is, for all intents and purposes, over, it is time for the Cincinnati Bengals to find out what they have. After its latest defeat at the hands of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Cincinnati stands at 3-7, its once-promising season nothing more than a shadow of what might have been.

If the Cincinnati Bengals defense improved against the Pittsburgh Steelers, it wasn't enough improvement to avoid a third straight loss.

Some Bengals fans will be scared away by the failed experiment of Myles Murphy, but that wouldn’t be wise. Woods is a ball of explosiveness in the middle of the Clemson defense. While the Tigers haven’t been very good this season, Woods has been impactful and well beyond the box score.

New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye (10) celebrates after wide receiver Stefon Diggs (8) scored a touchdown against the Cleveland Browns in the second half of an NFL football game on Sunday, Oct. 26, 2025, in Foxborough, Mass. Credit: AP/Charles Krupa

After playing very well in his first four games with the Bengals, Joe Flacco struggled for the first time since the trade to Cincinnati in Sunday's loss at Pittsburgh.

Compounding the issue is the fact that Joe Flacco - who has played well filling in for Burrow - has been limited all week due to an injury in his throwing shoulder. The Bengals also have Jake Browning and Sean Clifford on their active roster.

Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor has announced that starting cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt will undergo season-ending surgery.

The New England Patriots look to extend their winning streak to nine games when they travel to Cincinnati to face the Bengals on Sunday.

"I feel like you've got to keep reminding people that Dax is coming off an ACL," cornerbacks coach Charles Burks said, according to Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. "I think he's played well and he's just now starting to really get going off the injury. He's a guy I'm excited to see Sunday."