5 Bengals who need to thrive in Week 3 vs. Commanders

For the third season in a row, the Bengals have stumbled out to an 0-2 start after just falling to the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs 26-25.

While they did look like a far more complete and competent team in Week 2 compared to whatever it was that came out of the locker room clad in all orange in Week 1, it is still incredibly frustrating that they struggle so greatly to get off on the right foot. Especially so considering the Baltimore Ravens-- who have been the biggest challenge to Cincy for the divisional crown in recent years-- have also gotten off to a winless start through two weeks.

Alas, dwelling on the past accomplishes nothing, and with a big Monday Night matchup against the Commanders led by rookie Jayden Daniels on the horizon to avoid a disastrous 0-3 start, which would be the first of the Joe Burrow era, it's time to look forward. If there's one thing the Bengals have proven to be good at, it is bouncing back from these slow starts, which is the next best thing after not starting off slow at all.

So, here are some Bengals who will need to step up their game to kick things back into gear and climb the divisional and conference rankings, starting with the game against Washington.

(Side note: This does not include coaches, as this is specifically focusing on players, but if it did include coaches, Zac Taylor (among others) would absolutely be here).

Joe Burrow, Quarterback

While Joe Burrow hasn't been bad necessarily, he also hasn't quite played up to the pedigree we have come to expect from him as he has started as slow as the rest of the team. Thankfully, the Cincinnati faithful are more than used to this as Burrow typically doesn't hit his stride until roughly Week 4 or 5. Still, it is incredibly irritating to see the team come out so sluggish yet again, Burrow included.

In the 16-10 loss to the New England Patriots, the offense was agonizing to watch and could barely get anything going outside of a few drives. Burrow looked skittish and panicked in pockets that mostly held themselves together, leading to checkdowns galore that went nowhere.

While that game wasn't all on him, as Charlie Jones muffing a punt and Tanner Hudson fumbling at the goal line certainly hurt worse than anything Burrow did, he still wasn't helping matters. He did look much better in Kansas City this past week and even tested the deep ball a few times, but there were still holes in his play.

Most notably, not taking a free run into the end zone from KC's 12-yard line and instead throwing an incompletion (à la Aaron Rodgers in the 2021 NFC Championship game). The Bengals would end up settling for a field goal and that was one of many key moments that led to the defeat.

Thankfully, he appears to be getting back on track far sooner than he has in previous years, and we'll hopefully see more from him and the pass game come Monday against Washington.

Alex Cappa, Guard

Alex Cappa signed with the Bengals in the 2022 off-season. After his first year in stripes, it appeared to be a good signing. Unfortunately, Cappa would suffer an ankle injury late into the season, right before the playoffs, and missed the entire post-season, which included a second run to the AFC Championship game that ultimately came up short, in part due to his injury alongside a few others which left the offensive line depleted.

Since that injury, Cappa hasn't quite played up to his 2022 self. While the offensive line as a whole does look better than it has in previous years, Cappa himself does not. It has left some Bengals fans clamoring for the team to start preseason standout and potential steal of the draft Matt Lee at Center and move Ted Karras to his original position at Guard to replace the struggling Cappa.

Hopefully, Cappa can turn things around after an inconsistent 2023 campaign and a rough start to this season, and get back to how he looked in his first season as a Bengal.