Behind a poor showing from the offensive line, the Cincinnati Bengals let yet another win slip away against the Philadelphia Eagles in week three.
The Cincinnati Bengals let yet another winnable game slip away from them in week three, tying the Philadelphia Eagles at 23 points. The team moves to 0-2-1 on the season, with the Jacksonville Jaguars next up on the slate.
There were multiple instances the offense could have put the injury-riddled Eagles away, but penalties and poor offensive line play caused them to falter.
Up 23-16 late in the fourth quarter, a pair of pass interferance calls on Cincinnati’s two outside starting corners allowed Carson Wentz and co. to drive the length of the field and tie things up.
In overtime, the defense stood up, but the offensive line play unsurprisingly cost the Bengals the game. The final drive featured two sacks given up, and to no surprise, it was the right side of the line that found themselves grasping to keep Eagles’ pass rushers in front of them.
The Bengals have nobody to blame but themselves for the offensive line woes
Cincinnati’s coaching staff and decision-makers preached all offseason how confident they were in the offensive line without much to back their claims. The line of thinking was called into question back then, but it’s undeniable that they were wrong to head into this season with the current talent on the roster.
There were multiple instances the club could have made moves to upgrade the unit. Waiting until the sixth round of the draft to select a player at the position particularly sticks out as a head-scratching move.
At this point, Zac Taylor should seriously be considering making the few changes that are still left on the table. Whether it be moving on from offensive line coach Jim Turner or inserting rookie Hakeem Adeniji into the starting lineup, the team can’t continue moving forward without trying something.
As Joe Burrow and the Bengals get set to return home for week four, look for the team to make some sort of alteration in an attempt to get their first win of the new era.