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The Bengals weren’t looked highly on going into the season. They did put on quite the show in Week 1. However, in Week 2 we saw a version of Cincinnati that the national media expected.
The Bengals couldn’t make it out of the basement of the NFL power rankings without slipping on the steps and smacking their face on the ground in the form of a 17-41 loss to the 49ers.
The defense could’ve fielded 10 men and put on about the same show. San Francisco ran through holes that a semi truck could drive through. The offense also kept getting in its own way. They couldn’t capitalize when they got close to scoring distance.
Overall it was a hard game to watch, and it isn’t surprising that the Bengals took a little bit of a stumble in the rankings.
A week ago, the Bengals looked like a fun, frisky bunch who could sneak up on teams in 2019. On Sunday, they looked like one of the worst teams in football. The real Bengals are probably somewhere in the middle. Against the 49ers, Cincy allowed 572 total yards, one of the worst defensive performances in franchise history. San Francisco went 5 for 9 on third down and averaged 6.2 yards per carry en route to a 259-yard day on the ground. The Bengals’ defensive performance was doubly disappointing when you remember how stout the unit was against the Seahawks in Week 1, holding a Russell Wilson-led offense to just 232 yards in a one-point loss. Now it’s back to the drawing board for first-year coach Zac Taylor, who’s 0-2 with a road trip to meet the surprising 2-0 Bills next.
Pleasant surprise: Wide receiver John Ross has enjoyed the most productive stretch of his career. After a combined 210 receiving yards in his first two seasons, Ross is already up to 270 through the first two games of this season. With A.J. Green out, Ross has already gotten 20 targets, which accounts for a third of his career targets. With the strong start, Ross should have the confidence to produce solid numbers the rest of the season. -- Ben Baby
What happened against the 49ers? That was an awful showing. Now comes a tough road game at Buffalo.
Washington Post: 30 (last week 27)
So much for the encouraging performance in the opening loss in Seattle. That was a noncompetitive performance at home Sunday against the 49ers. This could be an ugly season.
Yahoo Sports: 27 (last week 25)
All of the air came out of the balloon. In Week 1 the Bengals were a surprise, even in a loss. They outplayed Seattle. Then they came home and got blasted by the 49ers. They gave up 572 yards. If you had to guess which game was a preview of what we’ll see from the Bengals this season, the Week 2 loss seems like a better bet.
Did you notice WR John Ross is leading league with 270 receiving yards? Ross had 210 yards total in first two NFL seasons.
The Bengals will have a chance to get back into the the rankings good graces against the Bills this week.