The Cincinnati Bengals will need to avoid the slow start in 2024 that has hampered the team’s past few seasons.
This was an obvious change for the team, yet it was amplified all the more on Tuesday when the NFL revealed that the Bengals would visit the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 2.
Which is to say that the slow-starting issues could have massive AFC implications within the first two weeks of the season.
The Bengals have started the last two seasons 0-2. They had that memorable 10 straight wins in 2022 before losing to the Chiefs in the AFC title game. But they also had last year, where Burrow’s calf injury over the summer played a big role in the 0-2 start, 3-3 mark by the bye and 5-6 record by December.
Considering Burrow has talked differently about his pushing through pain this time, there’s certainly hope this is a normal summer for the star passer — but the NFL is certainly hedging its bets by putting Bengals vs. Chiefs early in the season.
An x-factor when wondering if the Bengals can overcome the slow starts and shock the Chiefs in Week 2 is the idea the offense plans to look quite a bit different in 2024. More of Mike Gesicki in the slot, a fresh running back room, more under-center looks and other factors might just provide the juice and surprise necessary to steal a win in Arrowhead.
Either way, we’ll know whether the slow start is real quickly given the Week 2 showdown.
