Through five games, the Bengals have won three times and lost two. They got blown out, and they let one slip away. They won two shootouts and dominated a weaker team. They lost to a team they were supposed to beat (Miami) and won a game they were supposed to lose (Washington). They are 1-1 at home; 2-1 on the road.
At first glance, there doesn’t seem to be a pattern. But there is, and it’s an important one to take note of in this still-young season.
Each of the Bengals’ three wins was sparked by an electrifying play early on. Adam Jones returned the first punt of the game 81 yards for a touchdown against Cleveland. Mohammed Sanu hit a 73-yard strike to AJ Green from the Wildcat for a touchdown on the first play of Cincinnati’s first possession against Washington. Cedric Peerman took a fake punt 43 yards in the second quarter to set up the Bengals’ first touchdown against Jacksonville.
There were no comparable plays against Baltimore (where the Bengals did grind out a couple of nice drives in the first half) or Miami (when the Bengals played listlessly the whole game).
Moreover, Andy Dalton does not seem to come out on fire. His first series against Baltimore was a three-and-out. His first passes against both Washington and Jacksonville resulted in interceptions. The first drive against Miami went nowhere.
Step back, and what you see is a slow-starting team that needs some sort of explosive play on offense or special teams to get them into the ballgame. The Bengals appear to need to do something amazing before they start playing with some real fire and moving the ball all over the field.
So with this week’s critical game in Cleveland, what will happen? The Browns have been close a couple of times. They almost beat Baltimore last week (in Baltimore, no less) and have had 10 days of rest. They almost beat Philadelphia in Cleveland on opening day. They pushed the Bengals only four weeks ago.
They may be 0-5, but Cleveland isn’t a team to be taken lightly, especially on their home field. And they are getting their best defensive player, CB Joe Haden, back from NFL suspension this week.
Cincinnati can’t start slow, and they can’t need some sort of magnificent, game-changing play to propel them to victory. They are the superior team. They have more talent and more weapons than the Browns.
But that was true last week against Miami, and Cincinnati only scored 13 points and looked like they were asleep all afternoon.
The Bengals need to go into Cleveland and control both sides of the line. Their pass rush needs to bother Brandon Weeden. Their front seven need to contain Trent Richardson. The offensive line needs to open holes for BenJarvus Green-Ellis and protect Dalton, who needs to be in sync with his receivers right off the bat.
And it shouldn’t matter whether they have an explosive 50-yard play or whether they just grind it out five and 10 yards at a time. The Bengals are the better team. They need to go and prove it on every play.
Pittsburgh has 10 days to think about last night’s loss to Tennessee. If Cincinnati comes into that game 3-3, the Steelers will make sure the Bengals go to the bye with a losing record.
Who Dey Herald 