There's no doubt that the Cincinnati Bengals' defense has disappointed thus far in the 2014 season. Although Cincinnati's defense finished 2013 with the league's third-best defense (fifth in both passing and rushing defense), the Bengals have struggled stopping opposing offenses throughout the first half of 2014, perNFL.com.The good news for Cincinnati, however, is that the Jacksonville Jaguars are coming to town. This Week 9 matchup between the Jaguars and the Bengals will give Cincinnati's defense a chance to reestablish itself as one of the league's best, and Cincy's D will do just that, carrying the team to a victory over rookie quarterback Blake Bortles and the Jags' shaky offense.Cincinnati's defense has certainly struggled so far this season; halfway through 2014, only two teams have given up more yards than the Bengals, who have allowed 399.1 yards per game in their first seven games, per NFL.com.Plagued by injuries to several starters, including every starting linebacker, defensive coordinator Paul Guenther has been forced to switch up his game plan almost every week. When asked about having to make those adjustments, Guenther responded by saying: "That's part of the job," although he also admitted that "it's been a hell of a year," according toESPN.com.One of the Bengals' most significant defensive injuries occurred exactly a year ago, when defensive tackle Geno Atkins suffered a torn ACL in Cincinnati's Halloween Night matchup against the Miami Dolphins. With Atkins still on the road to recovery, Cincy's run defense has suffered, allowing 140.7 rushing yards per game and 4.8 yards per carry.With such a horrendous defense, the Bengals can only get better.According to Guenther, Geno Atkins played "his best game so far" in the Bengals' Week 8 victory over the Baltimore Ravens,per Coley Harvey of ESPN.com. Atkins recorded four tackles, a sack and a forced fumble in Cincinnati's 27-24 win.An Atkins resurgence could finally free up the Bengals' other defensive tackle, Domata Peko, who hasn't been able to make much happen while frequently facing double-teams. It could also take the attention off defensive end Carlos Dunlap, the Bengals' best pass-rusher, who has struggled as of late. After recording a sack in each of his first three games, Dunlap has gone sackless since Cincinnati's Week 4 bye.Footballguys' Jene Bramel provided a positive assessment of Atkins' progress:The Bengals' defensive improvement in Week 8 was something worth noticing. Statistically speaking, Cincinnati's Week 8 victory was its best defensive performance of the season, per Cincy Jungle. The Bengals now look to continue their success in an alluring home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.Cincy Jungle recapped the Bengals' defensive success in Week 8:A matchup against rookie quarterback Blake Bortles and the Jacksonville Jaguars' struggling offense is just what the Bengals defense needs. Bortles has been under duress for the majority of his season, as his offensive line has not held up the way that Jaguars coaches had hoped.Constantly facing defensive pressure, Bortles has been extremely inconsistent, throwing a league-high 12 interceptions in just six games, four of which were returned for touchdowns. Bortles has also taken 17 sacks and posted a passer rating of 68.3, perNFL.com.Radio host Lance McAlister noted former and current NFL analyst Solomon Wilcots' opinion that the Bengals need to pressure Bortles to achieve defensive success:With an enticing matchup against struggling Bortles, Paul Guenther will finally be able to do what he does best, which is dialing up blitzes. With a rookie quarterback at the helm for the opposing Jaguars, Guenther will finally be able to send pressure, something he hasn't been able to do as frequently in his recent matchups against skilled veteran quarterbacks such as Tom Brady, Cam Newton and Andrew Luck.If the Bengals defense is able to consistently force pressure, Bortles will eventually turn the ball over. An interesting statistic to point out is that the Bengals are one of only two teams to have recorded more interceptions than touchdown passes allowed. Meanwhile, Bortles has thrown two interceptions per game, per NFL.com.McAlister also highlighted a rare positive statistic for the Bengals defense:If the Bengals can't stop the run against the Jaguars, it could be a long game. However, with Atkins' resurgence, Cincinnati could be in for a field day on defense. Look for Cincinnati to shut down running back Denard Robinson early.If the Bengals can stop the running game and score some points on offense, they will be able to force Bortles to pass the ball, and in doing so, create interceptions, as Bortles has proved to be inaccurate thus far in 2014.This is a must-win matchup for the Bengals, and Cincinnati should not have any trouble coming out of Week 9 with another win. Cincinnati's offense is playing well, and the Bengals can't seem to lose at home.NFL STATS put the Bengals' home success into perspective:A victory over the Jags will not only help the Bengals maintain their AFC North lead, it will also give Cincinnati's defense the confidence it needs to reestablish itself as one of the league's best. Although the Bengals won't have a top-five defense by the end of the year in terms of statistics, they can become the league's best defense if they can just make some stops in the run game.With a couple of easy upcoming games against the Jaguars, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Houston Texans, Cincinnati's defense will emerge as a dominant force once again.Beating the Jaguars on Sunday is just the first step on a long path to becoming the defensive force that the Bengals once were under Mike Zimmer. If the Bengals can become dominant on the defensive side of the ball, they will win the AFC North and could even make a Super Bowl run.
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