The Cincinnati Bengals have been their own kryptonite early in the regular season over the last few years. The Bengals have gone 0-2 or 0-3 to start the regular season each of the last three years. They got away with it in 2022, starting 0-2 and then making the AFC championship game, but have since failed to make the playoffs each of the last two seasons in part because of those slow starts.
Last season in particular was when their slow start caught up to them. The Bengals started 0-3, including a detrimental loss to the New England Patriots in Week 1. Though Cincinnati became one of the hottest teams in the NFL by the end of the season, especially on offense, they weren't able to overcome their early season woes to make the postseason.
Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase acknowledged during OTAs this week that playing in the preseason could help. Though Chase admitted he doesn't want to play in the preseason, he did recognize that their team has started slow after not playing in the preseason.
“It sounds like we need to play in the preseason," Chase told reporters on Tuesday, via The Associated Press.
Part of the reason the Bengals have missed practice and preseason time is circumstantial. Joe Burrow suffered a calf injury in training camp in 2023, causing him to miss significant time right before the season. Last summer, Chase held out as he sought a contract extension with the Bengals. Chase acknowledged that his holdout affected his slow own start over the team's first two games in 2024, when he did not score a touchdown or go over 65 receiving yards in either game.
“They paid me and Tee, hopefully that’s the start of starting fast.” Ja’Marr Chase pic.twitter.com/XdJbfESSNo
— Mike Petraglia (@Trags) May 27, 2025
"I could say I wasn't mentally ready to be on the field," Chase said on Tuesday. "I was in my own head. You know what I'm saying? I wanted to play, but I was in my own head."
Though the Bengals would have been better off had Burrow and Chase started fast last year, the offense did a lot to overcome their slow start with Burrow playing at an MVP level and Chase winning the triple crown. Where the Bengals really need to see improvement outside of their slow starts is on the defensive side of the ball, which could truly allow them to contend again.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Ja'Marr Chase Willing to Try Something Different to Avoid Another Slow Bengals Start.
