Cincinnati Bengals must rebound from disappointing Week 1 start

If you’re like me, you spent most of the week perplexed by the product on the field on Sunday.

I mean, honestly, what was Cincinnati?

Bookmakers predicted the New England Patriots would win four games this season, but no one could have predicted they would march into Paycor Stadium and impose their will on the Cincinnati Bengals.

Cincinnati’s offensive line has been criticized in recent years, particularly for not protecting Joe Burrow as well as it should have. It was battered by the Patriots’ defense, which played much more physical football.

That set the tone for the rest of the game, to a certain extent. For starters, Cincinnati couldn’t run the ball effectively, which put them in more third-and-long situations than they would have liked.

I think their inability to run the ball effectively, combined with New England’s ability to be more physical with them up front, led to issues in the passing attack. Joe Burrow began to “see” the run, which prevented him from seeing the entire field. As a result, he missed some throws he had made in the past.

Zac Taylor’s playmaking didn’t help the offense much. They were mostly in the gun, which made their offense much more predictable. The running game was inept on a day when Joe Mixon ran for 159 yards for the Houston Texans.

Could someone remind Mr. Brown that “fear money doesn’t buy money.” If this game’s offensive struggles are a microcosm of what to expect this season, starting the game with three straight 3-and-outs is a recipe for disaster. They finished with 10 points. So much for a fast start to the season.

This week, they will certainly have their work cut out for them against the reigning Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs. Tee Higgins is still dealing with a hamstring injury. That opens the door for Jermaine Burton to showcase the skills that have many excited to see how he fits into this offense.

Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase both talked about him as a player who is “getting used to his game,” which leads me to believe his four snaps in Week 1 had more to do with his familiarity with the offense than his talent. Lou Anarumo’s defense will have its work cut out for him this week against chess master/ultimate play caller Andy Reid. Defensive MVP Trey Hendrickson played hard as usual, racking up 6 pressures in Week 1. Sheldon Rankins was just average in his debut.

One of the most glaring aspects of last week’s game was Cincinnati’s ability to make tackles and get off the field on third down. Tackling is more about attitude than anything else.

This is another feat that you can directly point the finger at the coaching staff for not getting the team ready to play. If they aren’t ready this week, they’re going to get blown out the door. The Bengals are in danger of falling to 1-11 through the first two weeks of the season during Taylor’s tenure as head coach.

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