The Cincinnati Bengals boast a roster full of talent, yet they often find themselves not living up to their potential. Despite an offense that many would argue could rival any in the NFL, they’ve consistently struggled to hit their stride at the beginning of Joe Burrow’s tenure.
Just take a look at the numbers: Since Burrow joined the squad, the Bengals have stumbled to start each season, with records such as 1-3 or 2-3 (or occasionally 1-3-1). These slow starts are becoming a troublesome trend, particularly spotlighted last year. They dropped the first three games and lost three out of their opening four. When you dig yourself such a deep hole, even a late-season surge, like their five-game winning streak, might only just push you above .500, keeping the playoffs out of reach.
The Bengals recognize this problem and are determined to fix it, as noted by Paul Dehner Jr. in The Athletic. “Changes will be coming to how the Bengals prepare for the season,” he reports. Every Cincinnati coach and staff member is emphasizing the importance of eliminating these sluggish starts.
For instance, he highlights new defensive coordinator Al Golden’s approach. Golden aims to make better use of OTAs than head coach Zac Taylor has in the past, a crucial step as he implements a fresh defense. However, the broader focus resides in the approach to training camp’s structure and intensity, which under Taylor’s leadership, has generally been more relaxed.
Dehner points out that while the Bengals don’t want to compromise the energy and end-of-season success they’ve shown recently, there is a collective agreement that the existing strategy needs revision due to the continued slow beginnings. This realization leads them to plan on increasing tackling drills in training camp and giving their starters more preseason action.
Some of their sluggish starts can also be chalked up to pure bad luck. Joe Burrow, in particular, has battled various health issues that have hampered his performance. From bouncing back from significant injuries at the start of his second and most recent seasons to handling an appendix problem and a calf injury in between.
Looking at the 2024 season, the Bengals kicked off with a 1-4 record. While they did suffer a setback against the New England Patriots, their defeats to the Kansas City Chiefs, Baltimore Ravens, and Washington Commanders are games a team with championship dreams should aim to conquer, regardless of the stage in the season.
Zac Taylor, with roots in the Sean McVay coaching lineage, has been applying lessons learned from McVay since steering the Bengals. Much of this pertains to the conduct of the offseason, particularly during training camp. Yet, noting the Rams’ similar struggles, beginning the past three seasons at 2-3 or worse, perhaps it’s time for both adaptation and broader strategic shifts.
