Bengals Wrap: Patriots roll over slow Bengals in Week 1
Enquirer reporter Kelsey Conway analyzes the Bengals’ Week 1 loss to the New England Patriots.
Everyone came to Paycor Stadium happy and dressed in orange.
They left with red faces.
They had every reason to be angry after the Bengals’ 10-16 loss to the weaker New England Patriots, especially at Bengals coach Zac Taylor.
Players say Taylor put on a tougher training camp to change the Bengals’ slow starts during his tenure. But it’s still the same old story from the season opener: The Bengals simply weren’t ready to play. They were barely competitive. They were uninspired and bad in every way.
There is no excuse for this, and there is certainly plenty to be concerned about as the Bengals prepare to travel to Kansas City to face the Chiefs, the two-time defending Super Bowl champions. The Bengals opened their home opener in front of a sold-out crowd that heeded the call to blanket the stadium in orange. The weather was picture-perfect, unlike last year’s season-opening debacle in rainy Cleveland.
And the Bengals didn’t have to play against an AFC North rival like they have the past two seasons. They were lucky enough to face one of the weakest teams in the NFL this season – and they missed the layup.
Think about that in December when the race for the playoffs is in full swing. Will it cost the Bengals a playoff spot? Or will it ultimately hurt their playoff seed?
Cincinnati likely faces a third straight 0-2 start and the fifth in Taylor’s six seasons. Suddenly, a first-month schedule that looked mostly easy — aside from the trip to Arrowhead — doesn’t look so easy.
You could argue that last season’s 0-2 start cost the Bengals a playoff spot. Had they won at least one of their first two games, they likely would have made the postseason – even if quarterback Joe Burrow were out for the final 1½ months of the 2023 season.
Burrow says he’s healthy now, but his injury history is a big reason not to dismiss this season-opening loss. The margin for error is razor-thin for a franchise that has built everything around the man wearing the No. 9 jersey.
The deep pass attack that Burrow and the offense are known for was nonexistent. Still, Burrow & Co. had a chance to run down the field and score a game-winning touchdown when the Bengals got the ball back with 3:04 left in the fourth quarter. But they gained all of five yards on that possession and were forced to punt. Receiver Ja’Marr Chase called it the most frustrating possession of the game.
“I don’t really have an answer for you right now,” Burrow said when asked why the offense stalled.
But no big deal, right? The Bengals offense always needs time to get going. The problems shouldn’t be overlooked.
Receiver Tee Higgins is out of action with a hamstring injury after a good training camp. Chase played well, especially considering he got food poisoning this weekend and didn’t have much time to practice because he was sulking about getting a new contract. Chase had the most receiving yards of the game with 62, including a 28-yard receiving pass. It was the Bengals’ only catch of 13 yards.
Chase’s performance was positive, right? Sure, but be careful. His unsettled contract situation is still weighing heavily on the franchise and who knows if Chase will continue to play if the Bengals don’t give him a new contract soon.
Perhaps we saw the consequences of the Bengals continuing to be stingy at the tight end position. Mike Gesicki, a free agent signing in the offseason, botched Burrows’ beautifully thrown pass into the corner of the end zone in the second quarter. The pass was initially ruled a touchdown, but after a review it was overturned.
On the next play, tight end Tanner Hudson caught a dart over the middle and appeared to be on his way to the end zone, but he lost the ball just before crossing the goal line. New England recovered and still led 7-0. Later, Hudson dropped a completely open pass over the middle.
None of this is a reason to panic – at least not yet – as Burrow remains upright and Chase continues to play.
BBP: The latest news on Ja’Marr Chase’s contract situation after Week 1
Enquirer reporter Kelsey Conway provides an update on the latest news following the Bengals’ Week 1 home loss.
The situation on defense, however, is quite different. The Bengals’ supposedly improved defense was badly battered by a backup quarterback and a number of unknown players.
These Patriots are a long way from the Bill Belichick and Tom Brady era. But it could have fooled the Bengals. Actually, the Bengals shouldn’t have been fooled. Everyone in the Bengals’ locker room knew the Patriots would frequently hand the ball off to a guy named Rhamondre Stevenson.
The fourth-year running back rushed for 120 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries. Stevenson had not rushed for 100 yards since the 2022 season.
“We knew what they were going to do and we just didn’t stop it,” Bengals cornerback Mike Hilton said.
The Bengals were one of the worst teams in run defense last season, and they spent the offseason trying to solve their problems on the defensive line.
But the two defensive tackles the team drafted — second-round pick Kris Jenkins and third-round pick McKinnley Jackson — began the season on the injured list. Backup defensive end Myles Murphy is also injured. Veteran defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins, who signed with the Bengals in the offseason, played no role.
Yes, it is a game. But you shouldn’t dismiss it as such.
Contact columnist Jason Williams at [email protected]
