NFL Week 2: Bengals’ goat of the week vs Texans

Things just aren’t going the Cincinnati Bengals’ way right now. The supposedly-revamped offense can’t get into the end zone over eight quarters, the team has lost two straight at home and there is a sense of dissension in the locker room.

Thursday’s loss was the crux of much ire from the players, where subtle finger-pointing has ensued, as has the firing of the team’s offensive coordinator. Usually in the “goat of the week” series, we only point out players as nominees for voting.

But, given the previous comments from our readers wanting to also place blame on coaches and just in how Thursday night played out, we decided to add them this time around.

Cast your vote and sound off on your Bengals Week 2 “goat of the week”!

Marvin Lewis: The Bengals rarely play well on primetime, much less win in the venue and it seems to be, in part, due to a lack of preparedness. The team and its best players seem to play tight in the biggest moments and that ultimately points to the head coach.

Ken Zampese: If the head coach didn’t receive your scorn this week, the offensive coordinator likely did. Zampese lost his job after this debacle, where almost no one on offense had a standout night and the team failed to get into the end zone, at home, for the second straight week.

The offensive line: It isn’t getting better for the beleaguered group up front, as they let up another three sacks on Thursday night. They aren’t seeming to be on the same page and varied looks still seem to confuse them. Joe Mixon, Giovani Bernard and Jeremy Hill combined for just 63 yards on 20 carries. Yikes.

Andy Dalton: We’ve seen No. 14 have rough stretches of games, but this might be up there with the worst. For the second straight week, Dalton didn’t throw a touchdown and was missing some wide-open throws. He didn’t turn the ball over after doing so five times against the Ravens, but he’s clearly rattled behind a shaky line.

John Ross: The team’s rookie receiver made his debut on Thursday and it didn’t go well. He showed his electricity, by scampering for 12 yards on a run, but fumbled on his very first pro touch. He was unfairly benched afterward, but the team’s lone turnover loomed large, as it led to a field goal in a four-point game.