Time for a temperature check in Cincinnati.
So far, the team has played two road games – a 34-27 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles and a 31-17 win over the Washington Commanders.
That Monday night victory was the team’s first preseason win since 2022!
Across these two hours of action, the Bengals have given fans some things to cheer… and a few more to worry about.
Here are my main takeaways.
Burrow’s cooking
Luckily for a team looking to start fast, Joe Burrow looks in mid-season form already. This is not the pale imitation of himself we often see in August.
Against Philadelphia, he was near-perfect, posting 9-of-10 for 123 yards and two touchdowns.
“Today was average”, he declared afterwards. Humble brag, or warning shot to the competition?
The zip and accuracy were there. The connection with Ja’Marr Chase – the top receiver against Philly with 77 yards from four catches – looked as good as ever. And the needle he threaded to find Charlie Jones in the end zone against Washington almost defied the laws of physics.
Back-up quarterback Jake Browning’s shaky performance in Philadelphia was his first competitive action in 18 months so he is excused. Ten days later, he had a nice bounce-back game in the capital, with 159 passing yards and two TDs.
Where is the protection?
Both quarterbacks took a sack behind some shaky O-line play in Washington. Burrow’s saw him frantically searching for an escape route before taking a 17-yard loss. We have seen that horror movie before and keeping #9 upright remains the top priority.
In particular, Lucas Patrick – currently the team’s least-worst right guard – did not cover himself in glory in either game. Could 5th-round rookie Jalen Rivers be a better option?
Either way, the fact that Dalton Risner came in for a free agent visit is not a coincidence.
Tinsley stakes his claim
This year’s “out-of-nowhere guy” is Mitch Tinsley.
The former undrafted receiver shone against Washington – his former team – with five catches for 73 yards. He showed reliable hands, aerial agility and toe-tapping swagger to snare two eye-catching touchdowns, both in the last minute of the first half.
Battling with Isaiah Williams for the WR6 slot, Tinsley may well have pencilled his name on the roster sheet. A post-game soundbite from Burrow suggests his quarterback agrees.
Somebody, anybody, make a tackle!
New defensive coordinator Al Golden would have winced at his unit’s attempts at tackling. Lack of effort and energy, and some bad angles, were evident across the board.
Philadelphia scored on five of their first six drives and gained 432 offensive yards, the second most in a preseason game in the Zac Taylor era.
Washington’s running backs also racked up several chunk plays and finished with 185 rushing yards – the most conceded under Taylor in preseason. Too many of them came after contact.
Safety Jordan Battle exemplified the issue perfectly, when he seemingly eased off and gave Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels a free pass to the end zone.
The preseason is the perfect time for fixing fundamentals and tackling clearly needs attention. It did last year and still does now.
‘Money Mac’ is back
One under-the-radar but no-less-important development is that Evan McPherson looks like his old self after a wobbly 2024.
Having reverted to his previous kicking technique, he has drilled everything in sight. Across the two games, he went 7/7 on point-after kicks and 3/3 on field goals, including efforts from 51 and 54 yards.
The Bengals lost plenty of close games last year but having ‘Money Mac’ dialled in again could swing one or two their way in the coming campaign.
The verdict so far
So, what is the vibe check?
Burrow looks healthy and dangerous. The interior O-line is everything we expected – and less. Tinsley is playing himself onto the roster. The defense as a whole need to tackle better. And special teams might yet save the day.
One more warm-up game, against the Colts, awaits this weekend at Paycor Stadium. Hopefully, we will see things improve, especially on the O-line and in defense.
Then bring on Week 1.
