Frustrating, but familiar. Demoralizing, but not shocking. The Cincinnati Bengals lost in Week One. No, the sky isn’t falling – this is too run-of-the-mill.
Since Zac Taylor took over as head coach in 2019, the Bengals are 1 - 5 in Week One. That’s bad. That’s getting-pulled-over-on-your-way-to-prom bad. That’s what face-planting right out of the gates looks like.
To panic, or not to panic…I’m leaning toward the former.
The issues were far too recognizable. The Bengals failed to control the lines of scrimmage. The offense started slow and put the team in a hole. The pass rush swarmed like gnats, but much like actual gnats, they were annoying, but mostly harmless.
And yet, this was a game the Bengals should have won. Seven points were taken off the board when tight end Tanner Hudson fumbled a certain touchdown. The Bengals handed the Patriots three points when punt returner Charlie Jones fumbled deep in Bengals territory. It’s simple: self-inflicted wounds and winning don’t mix. The New England Patriots didn’t beat themselves. The Bengals did.
That, really, was the ballgame. The Patriots weren’t special. They didn’t make any highlight-reel plays. They just avoided making any killer mistakes. Not the Bengals.
In the postgame press conference, the tension exuding from coach Taylor was obvious. This wasn’t how Week One was supposed to go. If you thought Taylor’s 1 - 5 record in Week One was bad, his 0 - 5 record in Week Two is even worse. It doesn’t get any easier, either – next week, the Bengals head to Kansas City to play Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs. The Bengals have had some success against the Chiefs in the past, but after what we watched today, how can anyone feel confident about their chances?
The offense is still too prone to bizarre droughts of ineffectiveness. The offensive line can’t be trusted in big spots. The run defense, which was atrocious last year and lost D.J. Reader in the offseason, still looked like Swiss cheese at times – particularly when the Patriots were trying to run out the clock.
That doesn't bode well against Kansas City. Mahomes won’t leave points on the board like the Bengals did today and Kansas City’s defense might be even more ferocious than New England’s. What makes matters even worse is the Chiefs, of all teams, will not be taking the Bengals lightly either. Bengals fans love to tout Joe Burrow’s 3 - 1 record against Mahomes’ Chiefs, and you can bet your bottom dollar the Chiefs would love nothing more than to even the score.
To be fair, the Bengals were hardly at full-strength today. Tee Higgins missed the game with a hamstring injury, and both of the Bengals rookie defensive tackles were declared out well in advance, giving them almost no depth in the interior of their defense. It’s no mystery, then, why the passing attack and run defense struggled. It’s hardly an excuse though – this was supposed to be one of the gimmies on the Bengals supposedly easy schedule. So much for that.
As the Bengals defense withered in front of the Patriots’ run game and the clock trickled down to zero, I couldn’t help but be reminded of the 2017 Bengals. That team entered the season with so much promise, but started the year 0 - 2 after being shut out by the Baltimore Ravens and then embarrassed at home by the lowly Houston Texans. They fought back, but finished a disheartening 6 - 10. The next year would be Marvin Lewis’ last in Cincinnati. Taylor has accomplished far more that Lewis ever did with the Bengals (and in a shorter period of time, too), but after another wasted Week One, it’s fair to wonder if something just isn’t working right.
That said, if the Bengals can find a way to beat Kansas City next week, all will be forgiven. Narratives can change quickly in the NFL, especially if you knock off the defending champs in their house. But no one can feel good about the Bengals chances, given they’re now 1 - 10 in the first two weeks of the season under Taylor. To beat KC, the Bengals will need to play their best game – and the Bengals’ track record suggests that’s not something they can tap into early in the season.
So, once again, the Bengals are 0 - 1 to start the year, just like they’ve been in five of the last six seasons. If history is any indication, they’ll be 0 - 2 after next week, just like they’ve been in five of the last six seasons. Tragic, but typical. Perturbing, but not surprising.
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