With the Cincinnati Bengals coming out of the bye week, and the sting of two straight embarrassing losses hopefully behind them, what adjustments will be made going into the second half of the season?
Despite the less-than-ideal last two games, the season has been a success by any measure. Few, even amongst the most optimistic homer fans thought the Bengals would be in a position to challenge for a playoff spot. Sure, this was SUPPOSED to happen eventually, but most thought 2022 at the earliest.
However, if the last two games proved anything, it’s that some changes are in order to get this ship righted. In a season where the AFC seemingly is wide open for the taking, what can the Bengals tweak in order to get themselves over the top?
Certainly, Zac Taylor and company will, and should assess the first half of the season and identify where they made mistakes. That won’t be hard. As fans, we can all seemingly call out when coaching errors and personnel/play calling is bad. To be fair, none of us are in the locker room or film room, but sometimes things are exactly what they look like.
With all this in mind, there are certainly some players that are going to have to step up for the stretch run if this team is to compete in the AFC. Let’s look at three Bengals that we need to see more of following the BYE week.