It’s not all bad for the Cincinnati Bengals coming out of the blowout loss to the Cleveland Browns in the opener.
Sounds wild, sure. The team lost 24-3, Joe Burrow didn’t look great, offensive play-calling was hard to get a read on and the offensive line seemed to struggle. Now the team heads into a second consecutive AFC North matchup with the Baltimore Ravens.
Buy Bengals TicketsBut it’s important to remember some key silver linings when thinking back on the contest and what it actually might mean for the rest of the season.
From key standouts to injuries and more, here’s a look at some Bengals silver linings.
Injuries
The Bengals had none to speak of, besides missing Joseph Ossai to a minor issue. Now look around the league. The Browns lost Jack Conklin for the year in that same game. The Ravens lost multiple starters to serious injuries elsewhere. Aaron Rodgers went down on Monday night. There are more we could note. Week 1 is always brutal for injuries. The Bengals were playing on a mediocre field in the rain, yet emerged healthy. That sort of luck (like last year’s run for the offensive line until December) is one of the key things that plays into a playoff run.
Cam Taylor-Britt
Fans had to see it. In his second year and as a starter on the boundary, Cam Taylor-Britt looked really good. He was all over the place on star players and had a few key breakups. If rookie DJ Turner can follow suit on the opposite side eventually, the Bengals are set for a long time at a premium position.
Dax Hill
It would seem preseason star Dax Hill has some juice in the regular season when given a chance, too. He grabbed one interception and otherwise looked capable back there. It’s the first sign fans have received that the transition away from Jessie Bates might not end up being a major weakness.
Timing and reps
It doesn’t need stressed that Burrow and the offense were miserable. But it’s not a major shocker after yet another summer where the quarterback and weapons didn’t have many reps together for some reason. Add in an elite Browns pass-rush headed by a future Hall of Famer, an offensive line trying to get on the same page after big changes again, slick conditions and a brilliant opposing defensive coordinator and Sunday is the result. The timing will fix itself.
Browns context
Every team has that one team that gives them fits. Look at the Bills losing to the Aaron Rodgers-less Jets on Monday night. Same deal for the Bengals when it comes to the Browns (and season openers under Zac Taylor). The Browns have dominated this series because they feel explicitly built to beat the Bengals. But it’s Cincinnati that consistently ends up ahead. In a way, it might be a blessing and a wake-up call that they got this out of the way in Week 1.
Deja vu
Slow starts are now a rising concern in the Zac Taylor era, though some of it can’t be helped when the star quarterback just simply cannot enjoy a normal summer. They nearly started 0-2 in 2021, then did start 0-2 last year after the four-interception and long-snapper injury loss to the Steelers before losing to Cooper Rush and the Cowboys. But fans also know how those seasons finished. Burrow and Co. are very good at adapting and will do so once again, even if the first month of the season ends up looking like an extended preseason.
