After a disappointing showing during the 2023 NFL season that resulted in missing the NFL playoffs, the Cincinnati Bengals were finally healthy and ready to bounce back heading into the 2024 campaign, with their sights set on contending for a Super Bowl title with superstar quarterback Joe Burrow leading the way.
Unfortunately for Cincinnati, the team stumbled right out of the gate in their home opener against the visiting and rebuilding New England Patriots in Week 1, with Jerod Mayo and company coming to town and pulling off arguably the biggest upset of the first week of the season at Paycor Stadium.
In Week 2, the Bengals were tasked with trying to take down the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs on the road at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.
Despite putting up a fight and almost coming away with the win, the Chiefs hit a game-winning field goal with time expiring in the fourth quarter, sending the Bengals to 0-2.
Things didn’t get any easier in Week 3 with rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels putting on a clinic against the Bengals on their home field, resulting in Cincinnati falling to 0-3 to start the season.
Although it looks like doom and gloom for the Bengals, especially on the defensive side of the football, ESPN’s Andrew Hawkins isn’t ready to write them off via NFL on ESPN.
“I’m not prepared to write [the Bengals] off yet. … They have Joe Burrow.”@hawk still has faith in the 0-3 Bengals 👀 pic.twitter.com/q7xwID3VRP
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) September 24, 2024
With a healthy Burrow under center and the weapons at his disposal on offense, the Bengals are not a team that should be written off at this point, especially with what they did against the Chiefs in Week 2.
Cincinnati is still a very good team, but if they don’t get things sorted out on defense, this offense will have to score a lot to win games this year.
