Can the Cincinnati Bengals Bounce Back from Yet Another Poor Start?

For Cincinnati Bengals fans, the start of the NFL season in recent years has been a series of déjà vu moments filled with frustration. Unfortunately for them, the 2024 campaign has been no different; they find themselves 0-2 for the third straight campaign. Heading into the new season, Cincy was one of the few teams that many thought could take the fight to the Kansas City Chiefs and perhaps the only outfit that could stop Patrick Mahomes and Co. from completing the first three-peat in NFL history. 

However, if that is to be the case, they will need to improve and fast. Following back-to-back defeats to start the season, they have been pushed out to +2000 to lift the Lombardi for the first time next February, while the reigning champions are the +475 favorites to emerge victorious once more. 

A Familiar Struggle

The Bengals’ 0-2 start to the 2024 season has become an all-too-familiar sight. In 2023, the team struggled initially due to a calf injury sustained by their star quarterback, Joe Burrow, which sidelined him and disrupted the offensive rhythm. The year before that, they were narrowly beaten by the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Dallas Cowboys. 

This year, their struggles continue, but with a different set of challenges. Wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase missed considerable time during this offseason, while his partner in the receiving corps Tee Higgins has been dealing with lingering contract and injury issues. Burrow also still seems to be nursing the wrist injury that saw him miss the second half of last season, and that has both fans and pundits speculating about his potential demise. 

There can be no denying that the 2020 number one overall draft pick looked like a shadow of his former self during the Bengals’ stunning home defeat to the New England Patriots on the opening day of the campaign, despite being an 8.5-point favorite heading into the contest. Burrow threw for a modest 164 yards and was seen continually nursing his wrist throughout the clash. He and his teammates bounced back on week two however, giving the reigning champion Chiefs all they could handle at Arrowhead, and had it not been for some questionable officiating, they would have left with the victory. 

Upcoming Challenges

Looking ahead, the Bengals have a critical opportunity to course-correct with upcoming games against the Washington Commanders and the Carolina Panthers. Both teams present winnable matchups that could help stabilize Cincinnati’s season, especially the latter. 

The Charlotte-based outfit is without a doubt the worst team in the NFL this season and by some distance. They have suffered back-to-back drubbing at the hands of the New Orleans Saints and the Los Angeles Chargers, and the Bengals are expected to pile on the misery. While the latest NFL odds for week 4 haven’t yet been published – with the bookies waiting to see what happens on week three first – the +6600 odds the Panthers have been given to win the NFC South should tell you all you need to know about their quality… or lack thereof. 

The Bengals will be expecting to win those two games handsomely, taking them to 2-2 and providing them with a platform to build upon. However, they cannot afford to underestimate these seemingly lowly opponents, as complacency has cost them in the past. From week five onward, tougher tests arrive. 

They face two divisional tests in three games in October as they welcome the Baltimore Ravens to Paycor Stadium on week five before heading on the road to face the Cleveland Browns on week seven. Seven days later, they will head to Philadelphia to battle it out with the Eagles.

Can History Repeat Itself?

Despite their current plight, there is a glimmer of hope rooted in recent history. The Bengals headed into the 2022 campaign with genuine Lombardi ambitions after reaching the Super Bowl for the first time in 33 years in the previous campaign. They managed to overcome a similar 0-2 start, finishing the season strong by clinching the AFC North title thanks to an impressive eight-game winning streak at the end of the campaign. 

Their upturn in form came with back-to-back victories on the East Coast, firstly against the New York Jets and then against the Miami Dolphins. While they were beaten by the Ravens in week five, the road to recovery was well underway. They won all but one game between week 6 and week 18, before upsetting the Buffalo Bills in the playoffs to reach the AFC Championship game for the second straight year. 

Last season, it looked as though they were on for a similar campaign. Once again they went 0-2, but the traditional bounce back came once Burrow was fully fit. The former Heisman winner with LSU masterminded a stunning victory away at the heavily favored San Francisco 49ers and the Buffalo Bills. Unfortunately this time around, another injury would hit the Superstar quarterback, triggering a downturn in a form that would cause them to miss the playoffs. 

Providing Burrow’s wrist doesn’t give way, the Bengals won’t be panicking just yet. They showed plenty of fight in week 2 against the Chiefs and they should have left Arrowhead with the victory. But head coach Zac Taylor and his team will need to address the early-season lapses quickly.