Bengals Finish Perfect 4-0 Preseason With Win Over Eagles: What This Cincinnati Team Is Building
The Cincinnati Bengals went undefeated in the preseason. Yes, it is preseason. No, that does not automatically mean a Super Bowl. But when a team looks this comfortable in August, you should pay attention.
Josh Johnson helped Cincinnati close out a perfect 4-0 exhibition schedule with a 30-13 win over the Philadelphia Eagles on Saturday. That performance capped a summer where the Bengals looked like the most functional team in the AFC across every phase.
Let’s set the table on why this matters.
Cincinnati’s biggest concerns entering training camp were on the offensive line, in the secondary, and around depth at the skill positions. Every one of those areas got tested in preseason. The offensive line held up in pass protection against multiple defensive fronts. The secondary held opponents to modest scoring numbers. The backup receivers and running backs produced when their names were called.
That is not a fluke. That is a team that is deep and coached well.
Joe Burrow, of course, is the franchise. He barely played in the preseason, which is standard for a top-tier NFL quarterback. But everything Cincinnati does in September has to be viewed through the lens of Burrow being the tip of the spear. When he is healthy, the Bengals are a Super Bowl contender.
He is healthy right now.
The wide receiver situation is one of the best in the league. Ja’Marr Chase is one of the top three receivers in football. Tee Higgins is a legitimate No. 1 receiver on most other rosters. The two of them together create matchup impossibilities for opposing secondaries. Add in a functional tight end and a running back who can catch out of the backfield, and Cincinnati has weapons everywhere.
The defense is where the questions were, and the preseason answered a lot of them. Head coach Zac Taylor has quietly built a defense that plays with pace, forces turnovers, and can hold up in pass coverage.
Trey Hendrickson is a monster off the edge. The interior of the defensive line has been reinforced. The linebackers are fast, and the secondary has good young pieces starting to develop.
The AFC is going to be brutal this year. The Chiefs are the Chiefs. The Bills are stacked. The Ravens are always dangerous. But Cincinnati has assembled the kind of team that can beat any of them in a single playoff game. That is the goal in the AFC these days.
Preseason results are famously misleading. Teams that go 4-0 in August have gone on to have disastrous regular seasons. Teams that lose every preseason game have won Super Bowls. Do not put too much stock in the exhibition record.
But do pay attention to how a team is playing.
The Bengals are playing crisp football. The starters look ready. The backups have earned their roles. The coaching staff has clearly communicated what they want, and the players are executing it.
Cincinnati opens the regular season with real expectations. If Burrow stays healthy, this team is going to be in the mix for the AFC’s top seed. Ja’Marr Chase is going to catch a lot of touchdowns. The defense is going to force turnovers.
The Bengals are a serious team. The preseason confirmed it. Now they have to prove it when the games count.
Buckle up in Cincinnati. This is going to be fun.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
