THE Cincinnati Bengals (0-3) hit the road to face the Carolina Panthers (1-2) at Bank of America Stadium on Sunday.
After a disappointing 38-33 loss to the Washington Commanders on Monday night at Paycor Stadium, the Bengals are looking to bounce back quickly. Only six teams have overcome an 0-3 start to make the playoffs since 1979. The last team to do so was the Houston Texans in 2018.
If the Bengals want to save their season, it must start Sunday in Charlotte.
Here’s what the Bengals need to do to beat the Panthers:
Get off the field on defense
A familiar face starts in Carolina this week as Andy Dalton will be the Panthers’ starting quarterback for the second straight week after the team benched former No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young.
Cincinnati’s defense put together one of the worst performances in franchise history Monday night. The Bengals were never able to clear Washington and rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels completed 21 of 23 passes while carving up the Cincinnati secondary. This cannot happen again.
Dalton played very well in his first outing as the Panthers’ starting quarterback last week, throwing for 319 yards and three touchdowns and leading Carolina to its first win of the year against the Las Vegas Raiders.
The Bengals need to play better defense at all three levels on Sunday.
Continue to get off to a quick start on offense
After a brutal offensive performance in Cincinnati’s loss to the New England Patriots in Week 1, the Bengals have played much better on offense over the past two weeks.
Much of their offensive success as of late has been because the offense is ready to go from the get-go. When the Bengals can get going on offense early, it allows coach Zac Taylor to open his playbook and lean more on the running game.
Getting the ball to Ja’Marr Chase down the field and into the end zone again was the only bright spot in the Bengals’ Week 3 loss. Chase had six catches for 118 yards and two touchdowns.
Right now, with some of the injuries the Bengals are dealing with on the defensive line, Cincinnati’s offense needs to carry the team.
Play complementary football
The Bengals have yet to play a game this year where all three parts of the team are firing on all cylinders. This needs to change for the team to start a winning streak and save their season.
They can’t survive another game where the offense plays well and the defense can’t get off the field, or vice versa. Cincinnati also needs to be more involved on special teams. Evan McPherson has missed a kick in each of the last two losses and special teams allowed a 62-yard kickoff return.
If the Bengals’ offensive, defensive, and special teams units go to Charlotte and execute their game plan at a high level, they should beat the Panthers.
But until the Bengals prove they can do it this year, there’s no reason to continue saying Cincinnati “should” win these games. As Taylor said after the loss to the Commanders, the Bengals need to “own” their record right now.
It’s up to them to change it.
This article originally appeared on the Cincinnati Enquirer: What the Cincinnati Bengals need to do to beat the Carolina Panthers
