The Cincinnati Bengals sat on the couch during the Wild Card Round of the NFL Playoffs for the third straight season this year, and the teams that won all needed defense to get it done.

That's an area where Cincinnati needs to improve, as it finished 30th in football with 28.9 points allowed per game in 2025 and has been in the bottom half of the league in that stat in each of the last three seasons. It's no coincidence that they haven't made the postseason over that stretch.

On the other hand, the Houston Texans allowed an NFL-best 16.7 points per game in the regular season and continued that momentum against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday night, as they won 30-6 on the road. They will now face the New England Patriots on the road in the AFC Divisional round on Sunday.

The Patriots also played lights-out defense in their Wild Card game, as they beat the Los Angeles Chargers 16-3 on Sunday night. That wasn't a fluke either, as they were third in the regular season with 17.9 average points allowed. 

A less extreme example is the San Francisco 49ers, who beat the Philadelphia Eagles 23-19 in their Wild Card matchup. They finished 12th in the regular season with 21.7 points allowed per game.

Compare that to Cincinnati, which allowed 30-plus points in seven games this season. Part of that is because opposing defenses scored nine touchdowns against it, but that's still not a formula for success.

The only team that won in Wild Card Weekend while giving up 30-plus points was the Los Angeles Rams, who opened the slate with a 34-31 road win over the Carolina Panthers. Even that can be attributed to a defensive abnormality for Los Angeles, as it finished 10th with 20.9 points allowed per game in the regular season.

In addition to having one of the league's worst defenses, Cincinnati may lose its best player from the unit. Defensive end Trey Hendrickson is hitting free agency after a history of contentious negotiations with the Bengals.

The four-time Pro Bowler requested a trade last offseason after not getting the extension offer he wanted, and Cincinnati added $13 million to his 2025 salary as a band-aid. However, the team never extended an offer to him before his contract expired, even though he's an elite player at a key position.

Hendrickson had 17.5 sacks in both 2023 and 2024 before an injury-shortened campaign this past season, but the Bengals still decided that they were okay with letting him hit free agency. If he leaves and thrives on another team while Cincinnati struggles again defensively next season, the team may regret that decision-making.