The Cincinnati Bengals kicked off their season on Sunday, but anyone familiar with recent history could have predicted the loss without even watching the game. The Bengals lost to the New England Patriots 16-10 in an ugly performance marked by mistakes and missteps on both sides of the ball.

While the saying “It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish” is absolutely true, a slow start could put the Bengals in a tough spot later in the season. On Sunday, they had an opportunity to beat a less talented Patriots team and get their 2024 season underway.

Instead, they literally squandered their chances to start Week 2 with a win, despite having several opportunities to take control of the game.

The Bengals have had more postseason success under Taylor, reaching two AFC Championship games and a Super Bowl. But to get there, they had to go through rough patches at the end of the season and win some must-win games. They didn’t have the luxury of being able to relax a little at the end of the year. Teams can’t relax when they’re in a must-win situation.

Now they head to Kansas City to face the Chiefs, who beat the Ravens in a thrilling season opener on Thursday night. The Bengals see the Chiefs as an obstacle on the road to a potential Super Bowl berth, so this is an important game. It would have been nice if the Bengals had started Week 2 in top form, but that won’t be the case. Instead, they’ll have to pick up the pieces of an embarrassing Week 1 loss while also game-planning for the best team in the AFC.

Now that the Bengals are officially 0-1 to start the 2024 season, Zac Taylor is 1-10 in the first two weeks of each season. Taylor’s only win in the first two weeks of the season came Week 1 of the 2021 season, when the Bengals defeated the Vikings 27-24 in overtime. They made it to the Super Bowl, where they lost to the Rams on a field goal at the end of the season.

Before Taylor, Bengals fans will remember the team’s struggles to win Wild Card playoff games. While I’d rather have a coach who can win in the postseason than a coach who can’t win in the first few weeks of the season, it would be nice to have both.