The Cincinnati Bengals enter their Week 1 matchup with the highly favored Seattle Seahawks at a disadvantage, having key players out due to injury. The offensive line has experienced a domino effect by losing their first-round pick, Jonah Williams before training camp started. Because of his injury, the often injured Cordy Glenn is back to being the starting left tackle. Unfortunately, he’s out with a concussion this week which leaves Andre Smith as the starter. On top of that, the Bengals will be without star wide receiver A.J. Green for at least a few weeks. With an inexperienced coaching staff, a slew of injuries, and a tough road environment in Seattle, the Bengals have a ton of hurdles to overcome in Week 1.
Offensive Line Storyline: I think it’s safe to say the offensive line will struggle. The question is if they can be competent enough to not ruin drives. The Bengals have a strong group of skill position players even without A.J. Green. If Andre Smith and Bobby Hart can just be average to below average, it’s possible for the Bengals to overcome their deficiencies. Another thing to look for is how Zac Taylor schemes around the deficiencies along the line. I expect to see Andy Dalton play outside of the pocket a lot to take some pressure off of the offensive line.
Wide Receiver Storyline: Who steps up in A.J. Green’s absence? Tyler Boyd will be solid, but the Bengals will need production from the rest of the receiver room as well. Damion Willis made a strong impression throughout training camp and pre-season, but is he ready for the big stage? John Ross has all the potential in the world, but will he be rusty after missing the entire pre-season? Having Tyler Eifert in the lineup will certainly help. However, either Ross or Willis will have to have a good game for the Bengals to have a chance in Seattle on Sunday.
Coaching Inexperience: I like what I’ve seen from Zac Taylor so far, and I think he will be a really good coach in the long run. However, it may take some time for him to figure it all out. He may say all the right things in interviews, but when the lights come on it’s a whole different ball game. I’m interested to see how he manages the game and responds to adversity.
Defensive Storylines: I know I’m in the minority here, but I think the Bengals defense could be a sneaky good unit. There’s too much talent for them to perform the same way they did last season. The linebacker position is still a weak spot, but I’m interested in seeing how defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo hides that weakness through his scheme. If he’s able to scheme around that weakness, the defensive line and secondary is good enough to make the Bengals a top-15 unit.
There is a lot of excitement with the new regime, and also a lot of uncertainty. We’ll find out if they can inject some energy in the team and change the directory of this stagnant franchise.
