2 teams on Bengals 2023 schedule that don't look as daunting through first 3 weeks

When the Cincinnati Bengals' 2023 regular-season schedule came out, it was clear that the back half of the schedule was going to be tough sledding for the reigning AFC North champs. While the Bengals will still play solid teams such as the Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs in the back half of the schedule, there are two opponents that seemed like they'd be much tougher than they actually are.

Of course, we're only three weeks into the season and, as Bengals fans know, a lot can change between now and later in the season. The Bengals, for instance, started 0-2 last year, and ended up winning 12 games and making it to the AFC Championship Game. They also started 0-2 this year and with Joe Burrow's injury, people might have written them off.

Even with us being just three games into the season, here are two teams on Cincinnati's schedule who no longer seem as scary.

Jacksonville Jaguars

I won't lie -- I drank the Jaguars Kool-Aid entering the 2023 season. They turned things around last year under Doug Pederson, won the AFC South, and then came from behind to knock off the Los Angeles Chargers in the Wild Card round of the playoffs.

It only made sense for people to put a lot of stock in the Jags coming into the season considering that they turned things around in 2022 and they play in the worst division in the league. Instead, the Jags are 1-2 and coming off their second-straight loss.

The Jags took care of business against the Colts in Week 1 but then fell to the Chiefs in Week 2 and got stunned by the Texans in Week 3. They haven't looked like the powerhouse that people were expecting them to look like but the good news for them is that it's still early.

The Bengals don't play the Jaguars until Week 13, which isn't until early December. A lot can change between now and then, as we know. For now, though, the Jaguars don't look like the scary team they were supposed to be this year.