Cincinnati Bengals Must Rebound from Adversity Against Kansas City Chiefs

The Bengals are 0-1 entering Sunday's game.

Elise Jesse | Sep 15, 2024

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9) talks with Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor during Cincinnati Bengals training camp in Cincinnati on Friday, July 26, 2024. / Albert Cesare/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK

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Cincinnati Bengals

Rebounding from adversity is the name of the game for the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday.

The team is well aware that their Week 1 performance was not up to snuff and won’t beat the Chiefs in Arrowhead on Sunday.

According to Pro Football Focus, Cincinnati’s offensive line was a bright spot, as the group finished with a pass blocking grade of 73.5. Newcomer Trent Brown didn’t get the best grade (48.8) and he took full accountability afterward.

“I would say that was probably the worst game of my career,” Brown told BengalsTalk.com. “I’m always going to be my biggest critic regardless if some people thought I played okay, decent, or not there’s always going to be something that can be better and that’s the perfectionist mindset that you have to have in order to make it for a long time in this league.”

The film from Week 1 was brutal starting with the very first drive. Patriots defensive end Keion White beat Brown with an inside rush move and a strip-sack of Joe Burrow, which happened on the second play of the game.

Brown has heard the criticism, but none of it lands as the offensive tackle has already given himself more grief over his play in week one than anybody else could come close to.

“It was terrible. it wasn’t technically sound, it wasn’t right, it wasn’t Trent Brown," he said. "It wasn’t up to my standards so back to the drawing board and I’ve got to have a better showing this week.”

The Bengals must elevate to a higher level with Chiefs defensive front consisting of guys like Chris Jones, George Karlaftis and Mike Danna.

Jones gets double teamed nearly every play and still finished with one sack, one forced fumble and three tackles (one for loss) in the opener. He’s a guy who can make a lot of trouble for the offensive line and quarterback throughout a entire game.

“What you have to do is put the work in during the week and go out there and just play balls out on Sunday’s or whatever day you play and hope you like the result," Brown said. "Guys like that (Chris Jones), they’re going to make their plays, they’re going to have their hands all over the game at some point or another so you just have to do what you can in between or after to do your best.”

Cincinnati’s offense knows they need to take control of the game and stay on the field as long as possible with the ball in Joe Burrow’s hands in order to have a shot at evening the record 1-1.

“We definitely have to control the line of scrimmage the best we can week in and week out,” Brown said. “We have to control the time of possession and we have to try to keep 15 (Patrick Mahomes) off the field I think. We definitely have to play complimentary football, we have to be on it in all three phases to help our defense, keep them off the field and keep them fresh, they need to true the ball over and play complimentary football all over, special teams as well.”

The loss was a complete dumpster fire in Cincinnati by most standards. Joe Burrow didn’t look comfortable in the pocket. He barely targeted Ja’Marr Chase, especially in the first half (2 targets) and didn’t seem willing to take the deep shots required to create explosive plays that have a reputation for swinging games in the Bengals’ favor.

He was asked about the way he rolls his wrist, scrutinized for the way he picked up a water bottle and while his words on Wednesday shut it all down, the NFL world is waiting to see how he will play against the Chiefs.

“It’s a luxury right now to be criticized by all you guys about how we played on Sunday because I was sitting in the wings for seven weeks last year,” Burrow said on Wednesday.

It’s worth noting that Burrow was listed as a full participant in practice all week and he looked normal during individual drills, which included deep throws.

“I think he feels great,” Gresicki said. “I can’t speak for him personally but for me, watching from my perspective he’s been incredible last week, all of training camp, this week. Same guy every day and that’s what makes him special.”

Getting Chase involved early and often will be a key component for the Bengals as he has been a vital piece in Cincinnati’s ability to move the ball efficiently. Extending drives will also help the defensive players in a big way and keep them fresh against a team who likes to stretch the field with the likes of Rashee Rice, Xavier Worthy, Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes.

Cincinnati’s offensive players are cognizant of the fact that they need to keep their defensive teammates off the field as long as possible in order to enjoy a celebratory flight home on Sunday evening.

“Try to extend drives and keep our defense out of tough situations and take it play by play,” Gesicki said. “We have a ton of playmakers, an incredible coaching staff, everything that we need and it’s a long season you know. It’s September 11th right now and there’s a lot of outside opinions right now which is warranted but at the same time its early and there’s plenty of time ahead of us.”

“At the end of the day yesterday’s homers aren’t winning today’s games and yesterday’s losses aren’t doing anything for you either,” Brown added. “We’re 0-1 right now, it is what it is and we just have to look forward to getting something else in the W column.”

Plainly stated, if the Bengals want to reach their ultimate goal, beating the Chiefs on Sunday would help make up for an ugly season opener.

Pressure comes with high expectations and the urgency to win is already high, even if we're only in Week 2.

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