CINCINNATI -- Jordan Battle had the ball in his hands and he didn't want history to repeat itself.
In Sunday's 17-16 win against the Cleveland Browns, Battle, a safety, intercepted a Joe Flacco pass. And he made sure to hold onto the ball at all costs. Last year against the Tennessee Titans, he dropped a ball before crossing the goal line, negating a potential fumble return for a touchdown.
Lesson learned.
"Whenever I get the ball in my hands, I know everybody's like, 'Uh oh, here we go,'" Battle said on Monday. "But I'm like, 'Nah, I got to hold it this time.'"
Throughout the offseason, the biggest questions about the Bengals were whether the defense could improve and whether the team's recent draft picks in the secondary could be productive. On a day when the offense struggled to click, the defensive backs came up with timely plays that proved to be the difference.
"I don't look at it as a young group," Bengals coach Zac Taylor said. "And so, my expectation is that they're going to make plays for us, and they did that [against Cleveland]."
Battle and cornerback DJ Turner II each had interceptions against the Browns. Cincinnati earned its first Week 1 victory since 2021 and just the second in Taylor's seven-year tenure. Entering this season, the Bengals had just one combined win in the first two weeks of the season, the worst record in the NFL during that span.
Cincinnati needed its defense against the Browns. The Bengals posted just 141 yards of total offense, the lowest in Taylor's tenure. Battle's interception with 4:53 left in the third quarter was a major turning point, while Turner's pick with 1:24 remaining sealed a gritty victory.
And for a defense that was besieged by criticism throughout the offseason, there was a certain level of satisfaction in how the Bengals won.
"We always wanted the pressure on us," Battle said of the secondary. "[The defense] feeds off the back end. They feed off our energy."
The third-year player out of Alabama has never needed a reason to start a little trash talk with teammates during intrasquad drills. But this year, there has been a shift. This year, Battle was cemented as a starter throughout the entire offseason. Knowing that, he said he prepared to be a leader for the defense and be someone who was energetic and approachable.
Taylor said Battle showed leadership traits dating to his high school days at St. Thomas Aquinas in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. It wasn't just the interception that the coach noted less than 24 hours after the Week 1 win, Taylor praised how Battle played in run defense on one play that allowed a teammate to make a tackle. There was another play where Battle made a strong open-field tackle, an aspect of his game that defensive coordinator Al Golden commended.
"It's great to be around him, to be honest with you," Golden said. "He gives you so much energy as a coach just because he loves the game and he practices hard and he prepares."
For the Bengals to be successful, they must be able to navigate around the big contracts to the team's offensive stars, including Joe Burrow. Aside from veteran safety Geno Stone, the remaining four starters in the secondary are all top 100 draft picks who were selected in 2022 or later. That includes Battle, Turner and Cam Taylor-Britt.
While there were some bright spots on Sunday against Cleveland, that secondary still has ample room to improve.
Golden said Taylor-Britt, who is coming off a disappointing 2024 season, was one of the first players who approached him ahead of a defensive meeting. Taylor-Britt told Golden he could have played better against the Browns and he plans on making amends this weekend against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Last year proved that as good as Burrow is at his position, Cincinnati cannot be a championship contender again without a serviceable defense. On Sunday, Battle and the secondary showed it can hold up its end of the bargain.
Said Battle: "However fast you can get the ball back in Joe Burrow's hands, we'll be just fine."