Will the real Cincinnati Bengals please stand up?

Whatever hope the Cincinnati Bengals had created in their narrow Week 1 loss quickly vanished in Sunday’s loss to the San Francisco 49ers. The question now is, are they as competitive as they were in Week 1 or as inept as they looked in Week 2? The answer probably lies somewhere in between.

Even after a loss last week, Cincinnati Bengals fans had something they had not had in a long time coming into this NFL weekend, hope. Unfortunately, that is gone. On Sunday afternoon, the 49ers came in and dominated the Bengals from the opening kickoff. Cincinnati was flat in all three phases. San Francisco did not hesitate to take advantage and won 41-17

The offense could not move the ball. Even when they did make a positive play, it was negated by a penalty. The defense got absolutely picked apart by 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan. Even the special teams could not manage to get out of their own way. This game was a disaster to watch in every aspect. Now, the Bengals are 0-2. There are more questions than answers it seems.

The biggest question you have to ask right now if you are a fan of this team is, which is the real Cincinnati Bengals? Is it the team who played the Seattle Seahawks down to the wire in a hostile environment while facing one of the premier quarterbacks in the game? Or is the team we saw in  get manhandled at home by what was thought to be an inferior opponent from a talent standpoint?

The defense looked transformed in Seattle and kept pressure on Russell Wilson throughout the entire game. Even the linebackers were running all over the field making plays. Lou Anarumo looked like a defensive genius.

Then, the Niners come into town and absolutely had they’re way with the same defense, led by a quarterback who has barely been able to get on the field over the past few seasons. The tackling was horrible. The linebackers were either slow or out of place. Thus, the defensive line couldn’t get a sniff of quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.

The offense was still unable to run the ball.  Even though they did find some success in the air with wide receivers Tyler Boyd and John Ross, Andy Dalton ran for his life most of the contest, especially after San Francisco built a comfortable lead. The red zone issues were still evident and kicker Randy Bullock was as inconsistent as ever.

Gone was the creativity and play calling that we saw in the season opener. Zac Taylor’s offense looked like it could potentially be the L.A. Rams 2.0 against the Seahawks, but struggled to stop self inflicted wounds against San Francisco. This leaves everyone wondering, who is this team?

Truthfully, the 2019 Cincinnati Bengals might not be as good as we built ourselves up to believe after the opener. However, they are probably not as bad as they played yesterday either. the truth is somewhere in the middle. This season has still only just begun and it is simply too early to tell at this point. Divison rivals Pittsburgh and Cleveland have their own issues as well.

There are bright spots on the Cincinnati roster. The young wide receivers seem ready to flourish in this offense. Trey Hopkins looks like he is the center we have been waiting for. William Jackson is a stud and Jessie Bates still can be. The defensive line has some quality pieces to build around as well.

The offensive line is still a major question. Some issues are health related, but there are still pieces needed before they are a finished product. Linebacker is still a position of need as well.  At some point, that has to be addressed early in the draft or via free agency.

Zac Taylor still has the makings of a quality head coach, but he needs time to learn as well as adjust. There is no reason to believe that he won’t. It is evident that all the pieces simply are not there yet. At this point it is just to hard to predict what kind of record were looking at by seasons end. A winning record is starting to look out of the question. It would already take a major turnaround in a season that is sure to include many more bumps and bruises.

Still, The Bengals are probably not in the running for worst team in the league either. The Dolphins are looking like they could be historically bad. A few other teams are facing long seasons ahead.  This team might be a five or six win team when it is all said and done.

Of course doom and gloom can make one as irrational as being overly optimistic. Regardless, the season is still young. We still have a ways to go before we know who the true Cincinnati Bengals of 2019 are going to be.