You’ll read that 0-2 isn’t the end of the world for the Cincinnati Bengals. You’ll read how a loss at Buffalo is still OK because winning at Pittsburgh is a lock without Big Ben. Don’t be fooled, because numbers don’t lie. You are what your record says you are. At 0-2 and more riddle than reality, Week 3 at Buffalo is absolutely critical heading into the heart of the schedule.
How damaging could 0-3 really be? It means finding wins in the schedule becomes harder. I won’t object that Pittsburgh is less without Roethlisberger, but Mason Rudolph will be better in Week 4 than if the Bengals had him this week.
It also means you’re now looking for a win Week 5 against the Arizona Cardinals at home, and maybe a win Week 7 against Jacksonville, also at home.
Two things, I get that Cincinnati has every chance to improve, but so does everyone else. The Cardinals played Baltimore tough in Week 2, so the idea that Arizona is a lock for the win column is a Fool’s Paradise. Then again, Fool’s Paradise is crowded these days with Bengals fans who see an automatic ‘W’ against Pittsburgh.
Zac Taylor has to get the Bengals right against the Bills. An 0-3 start isn’t necessarily a catastrophe, but it bodes as such for a team who looked like it stumbled onto something positive in Seattle. A loss in Buffalo most likely points to 0 for September.