CINCINNATI — The Bengals’ defense got better with linebacker Vontaze Burfict back in the middle of everything.

Now the defending AFC North champions need to fix their offense, which gets stuck in place near the goal line.

The addition of one missing piece could go a long way in that area, too.

A 22-7 win over Miami on Thursday night at Paul Brown Stadium got the Bengals (2-2) back on even footing in many ways. Burfict returned from a three-game league suspension for his illegal hits and made an impact on a defense that had given up four touchdown passes only four days earlier.

The biggest remaining problem is with the offense’s inability to get into the end zone. The Bengals dominated in yards and time of possession, but managed only A.J. Green’s touchdown catch and five field goals by Mike Nugent.

That problem has to get fixed, and fast. Cincinnati’s next two games are at Dallas (2-1) and New England (3-0), two places where they haven’t fared well.

“For whatever reason, every time we get in a scoring position, we have a little hiccup here or there,” left tackle Andrew Whitworth said. “The reality is our red zone percentage has to get better if we’re going to have a chance to get where we want.”