Cincinnati is doing something right defensively. Two years in a row, the Bengals have finished with more interceptions than touchdown passes allowed. In each of the last two years, only one other team has done this (Carolina last year, and the Bills in 2014).
The ratio of touchdowns to interceptions tends to be something we look at (both with quarterbacks and defenses). You finish with a bunch more touchdown passes than interceptions, and generally the offense is winning.
The Bengals get to play Cleveland twice a year. Maybe that’s a slight bonus. But it doesn’t explain how they’ve been 9 better than any other team. Over half of the league is minus-20 over the last two years.
Bengals are quietly very good defensively. Only Seattle allowed fewer points last year, and Cincinnati has been in the top 9 in four of the past five years.
Past performance, of course, does not guarantee future results. Every year is different, and teams and systems change. Safety Reggie Nelson, for example, intercepted 8 passes last year, and he probably will sign with another team – likely with the Raiders today.
| TD-INT RATIOS, 2014-15 (Defenses) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Team | TD | Int | Diff |
| Cincinnati | 36 | 41 | 5 |
| Seattle | 31 | 27 | -4 |
| Carolina | 46 | 38 | -8 |
| Atlanta | 39 | 31 | -8 |
| Arizona | 46 | 37 | -9 |
| Buffalo | 46 | 36 | -10 |
| Green Bay | 46 | 34 | -12 |
| St. Louis | 39 | 26 | -13 |
| Dallas | 41 | 26 | -15 |
| Denver | 48 | 32 | -16 |
| Houston | 52 | 34 | -18 |
| San Francisco | 50 | 32 | -18 |
| Kansas City | 47 | 28 | -19 |
| New England | 48 | 28 | -20 |
| Detroit | 50 | 29 | -21 |
| Minnesota | 50 | 26 | -24 |
| NY Giants | 56 | 32 | -24 |
| Cleveland | 56 | 32 | -24 |
| Indianapolis | 56 | 29 | -27 |
| San Diego | 46 | 18 | -28 |
| Oakland | 54 | 23 | -31 |
| Pittsburgh | 59 | 28 | -31 |
| Miami | 58 | 27 | -31 |
| NY Jets | 56 | 24 | -32 |
| Tampa Bay | 59 | 25 | -34 |
| Baltimore | 52 | 17 | -35 |
| Jacksonville | 53 | 15 | -38 |
| Philadelphia | 66 | 27 | -39 |
| Tennessee | 62 | 23 | -39 |
| Chicago | 65 | 22 | -43 |
| New Orleans | 71 | 21 | -50 |
| Washington | 70 | 14 | -56 |
—Ian Allan