Cincinnati’s preseason opener is about a month away. Here is a brief look at each game.
Wins and losses do not matter in the preseason. Still, if you look at each matchup, a meaningful nugget or two can be taken away from every contest. So, here is what to watch for in each Bengals preseason game.
Week 1: at Kansas City Chiefs:
We will likely only see Kansas City’s starting offense against the Bengals starting defense for a series here. The Chiefs probably won’t showcase anything exotic either. Still, Kansas City averaged over 35 points a game last year. The Bengals gave up over 28 points per game. This is a good first test for a new Bengals defensive scheme that desperately needs to lead to improvement.
Week 2: at Washington Redskins:
Here, the intrigue lies in what Cincinnati could have had. The Bengals passed on Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins in the first round of the draft, the Redskins didn’t. Cincinnati will get a good look at the rookie as he battles it out with veteran Case Keenum for the starting job in DC. Especially with the injury to Jonah Williams, if Haskins lights it up here, the should have picked Haskins whispers will turn to roars.
Week 3: vs. New York Giants:
Simply put, if the Bengals defense does not look good here, be worried. Starters typically play about three quarters in the penultimate week of the preseason. The Giants offense was a mess outside of Saquon Barkley last year and the personnel remains largely unchanged. Also, new Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo should be very familiar with it. He was on the Giants defensive staff last year. Everything is setup for Cincinnati’s defense to perform well here, if they can’t, it may be a sign that another long here is ahead.
Week 4 vs. Indianapolis Colts:
This traditional preseason matchup wraps things up this year. We almost never see familiar faces in the final week of the preseason. However, for the guys that do play, their performances could determine if their NFL careers go on. The same can be said throughout the league in the last week of the preseason.