"For the second time in three seasons, the Bengals finished in the top 10 in the league against the pass. Judging by the performance and the lack of depth over the final nine games, it didn't feel like it.

With plenty of new pieces at the beginning of the season and the injury to cornerback Leon Hall during Week 10, Bengals defensive backs had a target on their backs.

Statistically, teams attempted fewer passes against the Bengals during the second half compared to the first, but there were five more touchdowns and the completion percentage was nearly 61 percent. They also gave up more big plays after midseason compared to the first half.

With five unrestricted free agents, there will be plenty of changes in the group again by the time offseason conditioning begins in mid-April. Who will be back and what areas the team will try to improve is part of the evaluation process that began with the Bengals' 31-10 loss to Houston last Saturday in an AFC wild-card game."