CINCINNATI -- Walking nearby in the locker room, linebacker Demetrius Knight Jr. overheard the question being asked to cornerback Dax Hill.
The topic revolved around stopping perimeter runs.
"Swarm to the ball and tackle," Knight said, interjecting above Hill's voice.
Pardon Knight's interruption, but the Bengals defensive players have been hearing about this issue a lot since the Bengals' self-scout over the Week 6 bye. Not surprising then that it's on the mind.
Between opponents' reluctance to run at Dexter Lawrence in the middle and Cincinnati's struggles to slow outside runs, receiver sweeps and quarterback scrambles, it's understandable why the topic might be a touch sensitive around the Bengals' locker room right now.
"We must improve on the perimeter run game," defensive coordinator Al Golden said. "That's one of the things we are working through right now and just trying to make sure conceptually and tactically we're doing it the way we need to do it to improve there."
The Bengals' defense ranks in the middle of the pack in nearly every defensive metric through six weeks, but sits 30th in yards allowed per carry (5.0) and 31st in explosive plays allowed. Specifically, most of those plays have come from missed tackles and open lanes on the edges.
Eleven of the 16 explosive runs (12-plus yards) have come on outside runs or quarterback scrambles. Those could be worse if not for multiple long runs being called back by 50-50 holding calls.
The defensive success rate against the run has proven OK down to down, ranking just below average at 21st in the NFL. Lawrence has done his share of damage stuffing attempts up the middle. Allowing these edge plays and scrambles to break for huge gains has become a debilitating flaw.
"It's on me," Golden said. "Everything starts with what we're doing tactically and how we're teaching it and what we need to improve and what needs to change and where can we be in a different call. But certainly, everybody has a part in it. We all need to improve on it, whether that's beating blocks, playing better force, coaches putting the guys in better position to make plays and then tackling."
Sounds great, of course. But a familiar theme for a defense that ranked 31st in yards allowed per rush last season (5.2), also struggling famously with missed tackles in space.
In the minds of Knight and Hill, this comes down as much to mentality as the tactics Golden will spend this week reemphasizing.
"You can't really teach tackling, the want-to, getting off blocks; you just got to do it," Hill said. "A coach can tell you that; it comes down to the person."
Urgency to do so didn't take a bye week of deep dives into the film. It only took a quick look at any Ravens game in the last three years or Derrick Henry highlights.
Running the perimeter pitch to Henry, barreling downhill off the edge is as much a staple of his career as stiff-arming helpless defensive backs into the turf. He's carried 46 times for 201 yards with seven missed tackles forced while producing five 10-plus-yard runs.
The numbers add up and they will be barreling directly toward the Bengals' biggest weakness this season.
"Derrick has been doing it for a really long time, just running really strong," Golden said. "You have to wrap him up. You can't let him get going. You got to find a way to stop his feet in the backfield. So I think they're blocking really well in the perimeter -- wideouts, tight ends."
This goes beyond just the running backs.
Cincinnati ranks dead last in the NFL, allowing 9 yards per rush to quarterbacks and receivers, a total of 23 attempts for 207 yards.
Miami, specifically, took advantage of quarterback scrambles and receiver runs, targeting the Bengals' edge players. Malik Willis ran eight times for 74 yards for the Dolphins, including a 39-yarder. Chris Bell ran 26 yards on an end around.
"I didn't like what we did at all versus Miami," Golden said. "I thought we got sloppy. A lot of it was late in the game and really had no excuse. I thought we got sloppy with the pass rush a couple times there and let him out. And that gets back to the earlier question: that's one of the things that we have to improve coming off the bye, just keeping the quarterback in the pocket and making sure we don't have explosive scrambles."
Enter Lamar Jackson, maybe. Baltimore coach Jesse Minter continued to play close to the vest on Jackson's possible return on Sunday, still dubbing him "day to day" after missing the last two weeks, but even if Tyler Huntley remains at quarterback, the other weakness in the Bengals defense lately could be exposed.
Also, Zay Flowers ranks fifth among all wide receivers for most rushing yards since 2023, carrying 30 times at 6.9 per rush.
The Bengals are very aware of how the areas their defense struggled this year fit Baltimore's offensive stars. They've been hearing about it all week.
The challenge Sunday, in one of the most important games on the schedule, will be putting those issues behind them and securing a much-needed win.
And do so against 240 pounds of freight train coming around the edge.
"It's just anticipating it," Hill said. "We know they are probably going to run it first play by what we've shown on film. We have to be ready for it. It's all what D-Knight literally said: we all have to go toward the ball because it's hard to tackle a guy like that. You have to make sure you stop him early because he can wreck a game."
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
