Can the Bengals Take Advantage of Josh Allen’s Start?

As Josh Allen makes his first NFL start, the Bengals have a chance to make a really strong impression on defense this Sunday.

The Bengals are set to take on the Bills in Week 3, but the attention will not be on Cincinnati. The Bills announced that rookie quarterback Josh Allen will start their third preseason game against the Bengals. Allen is an enigmatic prospect to say the least, and this will be his first NFL start.

Allen will get an interesting test playing against the Bengals’ first team defense. So far, Allen hasn’t been a complete disaster in the preseason, but he hasn’t faced top-end competition, either. To this point, his completion percentage is 56% with a 1/0 touchdown to interception ratio. The lack of interceptions is nice, but that’s still not a big difference from his college stats.

Coming out of Wyoming, Allen was always going to be a developmental prospect, so to see him starting already is actually a good sign. I had him ranked outside the top 40 on my big board, and still don’t believe in his talent. Allen has serious questions regarding his accuracy, reads, and decision-making. Although he has flashed some positives, Allen still needs to answer these questions in the preseason.

Because of these major flaws, Allen’s start could be an excellent opportunity for the Bengals. Especially since the starters will play a decent chunk of the game, they will get a real shot to tee off on Allen. If defensive coordinator Teryl Austin really wants more turnovers out of this defense, playing against Allen is the time to show it. Allen’s propensity for turnovers could help the starters out immensely.

Newly appointed free safety Jessie Bates should be a player to focus on, since he should be in the vicinity on multiple Allen deep balls. William Jackson III could also have a big game for the Bengals against Allen. One guy in particular to watch is Dre Kirkpatrick, who struggles defending the deep ball. This could be the perfect challenge for him – a strong-armed but inaccurate quarterback.

The secondary may get a big help from the pass rush, who could have real success against the Bills. Coming into this season, the Bills may have the worst offensive line in the NFL, so Carlos Dunlap, Carl Lawson and others could have a field day. Allen’s reaction time is still slow, so some serious edge pressure could lead to some turnovers for the Bengals. It will be fascinating to see Allen deal with the Bengals’ core of edge rushers.

Allen’s start will likely be the biggest storyline heading into this third preseason game. While most of the attention will be focused on him, watch the Bengals’ defense respond to him. The potential for a big showing is right in front of this team – they need to take it.