No NFL team is without its flaws. However, even if you buy the agent-driven narrative that the Cincinnati Bengals are the most unstable franchise, no amount of front office turmoil matters at the end of the day as long as the on-field product is up to snuff.
Whether that'll be the case for the 2025 iteration of the Bengals remains to be seen. We'll all find out together several months from now.
But you know what will go a long way in shaping Cincinnati's narrative for the upcoming season? How the first couple weeks go.
'September reputation' named as Bengals' biggest flaw — but there's a fix
According to Bleacher Report's article about all 32 teams' biggest single problems entering Week 1, slow starts are the ultimate hurdle the Bengals must overcome.
Zac Taylor owns a 1-11 record in Weeks 1 and 2 during his tenure. That trend must change so the Bengals don't have to play catch-up. You know what's going to help a lot? To borrow an across-the-Atlantic football phrase, Cincinnati has a "clean sheet" on its final injury report. It's beautiful...
.@KetteringHealth Injury Report for #CINvsCLE pic.twitter.com/JcaKwUY8Be
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) September 5, 2025
Bang-up job by Bengals admin and graphic design team on this. Who says this organization isn't cutting-edge!?
B/R concedes in its own write-up that Joe Burrow "coming off a strong summer" provides reason for optimism, as does contract extensions/pay raises for the likes of Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and Trey Hendrickson.
The latter contract spat with Hendrickson wasn't resolved until very recently. While his rust could contribute to a shaky defensive effort in Week 1 against the AFC North rival Browns, Hendrickson is still head and shoulders above the next-best Bengals pass-rusher.
What I'd like to point out (again) is the fact that Burrow finally made it through a normal training camp. Chase and Higgins didn't merely sign extensions. They did so back in March, which made them fully available for the offseason program and camp for the first time together in a long time. That Burrow-Chase-Higgins power trio got all the reps.
Higgins was also banged up entering Week 1 last season with a nagging hamstring issue. He missed five games for the second straight season. If he can stay healthy alongside Burrow and Chase, this Bengals offense should be borderline unstoppable.
Bad news for Cleveland, that's for sure. Especially with Myles Garrett's ailing hip, the Browns stand to be even bigger home underdogs in Sunday's divisional clash. In the likely event Garrett plays, he could very well be limited, which only improves the Bengals' chances of winning their first season opener since 2021.
And guess what? The last time Cincinnati won in Week 1, it resulted in a run to Super Bowl LVI. Perhaps history will repeat itself.