After a disheartening loss to the New England Patriots, the Cincinnati Bengals suffered a brutal loss to the Kansas City Chiefs to drop to a 0-2 record for the fifth time under head coach Zac Taylor. While losing to a clearly inferior team last week was a tough loss, losing to their biggest rival in such a mistake-laden slugfest will undoubtedly leave this team emotionally drained for the next several days. Particularly for players that had such a hand in the fourth quarter collapse, these men desperately need to find a silver lining.
Cincinnati Bengals Almost Prevail Despite Complete Depletion Up Front
Even after such a tough loss, Cincinnati needs to remember that there was plenty to be excited about during the matchup with Kansas City. For starters, the defensive line actually managed to hold up pretty well against an overpowering offensive line for Kansas City. While the loss on the defensive pass interference call by inspiring rookie Daijahn Anthony was the final blow that cost this team the game, the ultimate cause can be attributed to the loss of defensive tackles Sheldon Rankins and B.J. Hill during the game to injury.
It is important to remember that after losing superstar nose tackle D.J. Reader to the Lions during free agency and injured rookies Kris Jenkins Jr. (thumb) and McKinnley Jackson (knee) being ruled out of the game prior to kickoff, this is a unit that was completely devoid of depth to begin with. That means that after Rankins and Hill went down, this team was completely limited to depth piece Jay Tufele and undersized tweener Zach Carter on the defensive interior. Even with that serious limitation, this defensive front was able to stuff the Kansas City rushing attack and force a 4th and 16 in the fourth quarter.
Complete Domination on the Pass Rushing Front
Even with the serious lack of depth on the interior, the Cincinnati pass rush completely dismantled the offensive tackles of Kansas City. Defensive end Trey Hendrickson toyed with rookie left tackle Kingsley Suamataia until Kansas City benched him in favor of backup tackle Wanya Morris. Even with plenty of chips from tight ends and running backs, Hendrickson managed to pile up two sacks and a plethora of pressures against elite quarterback Patrick Mahomes that likely led to his uncharacteristic two interceptions.
Trey Hendrickson is an absolute terror
— All-22 (@All22_PFF) September 15, 2024
Once this team recovers some depth on the interior of the defensive line, Hendrickson will have more one-on-one opportunities against the mediocre left tackle talent available for Kansas City. When these teams inevitably clash in the postseason, Cincinnati will likely figure out ways to isolate the offensive tackle and allow Hendrickson to work his hands against weak competition. Without a stable offensive line, Mahomes has a tendency to panic and throw mediocre interceptions like he did during this matchup.
Offensive Variety Provides Hope After Lackluster Performance in New England
On top of the improved defensive performance against arguably the best offense in the NFL, the offense played with an unusual balance and variety for a unit run by Zac Taylor. This is a team that ran the ball 22 time and threw the ball 36 times while 14 of the 23 completions were made to tight ends. On top of that, even with superstar wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase on the roster, tight end Mike Gesicki was actually the teams best receiver throughout the game as he logged seven receptions for 91 yards.
Once Tee Higgins returns to the lineup after he recovers from a nagging Hamstring injury, the ability of talented quarterback Joe Burrow to spread the ball around to a talented cast of receivers, tight ends and running backs will make this a truly dominant unit. In the past (including in their week 1 loss to the Patriots), this offense has a tendency to have tunnel vision for both Chase and Higgins but if Burrow plays like he did tonight where he can find the truly open target every play, this is a potent offensive attack.
General Intensity and Outlook
While it is easy to hit the panic button after Taylor leads another 0-2 start in Cincinnati, this game may indicate that this team may actually be getting on track sooner than usual. Cincinnati was expected to be drubbed after a pitiful display in week 1 but as the final penalty made painfully apparent, the only reason that Kansas City was able to escape with a win in their home stadium is a plurality of painful errors by Cincinnati. Once this team returns to health, they could start to play at their top level far sooner than they usually do.
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