The Bengals have had a frustrating start to the NFL season. At 0-3, they’ve fallen well shy of expectations thus far. This week, they have a key opportunity to beat a subpar team in the Panthers. However, Carolina is currently coming off their first win of the season.
Winless Bengals Turn Big Cats into Big Dogs
Cincinnati entered this season hoping to return to the level of their Super Bowl season in 2020-21. Injuries have prevented their ascension over the last few years, but the Bengals appeared to be mostly healthy prior to Week 1. Unfortunately, their health didn’t translate to wins. While QB Joe Burrow, WR JaMarr Chase, and the offense have mostly returned to form, the defense has been abysmal. They need to improve vastly to avoid a collapse.
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Panthers Clawing Tooth and Nail to Survive
The Panthers avoided an 0-3 start of their own with a triumphant win over the Raiders. Veteran QB Andy Dalton completed 26 of 37 passes for 319 yards and 3 TDs in the victory, posting a 123.6 passer rating. Dalton being so significantly better than Bryce Young is a double-edged sword for Carolina. On one hand, they should be far more competitive with Dalton moving forward. On the other, the decision to take Bryce Young 1st-overall looks worse by the day.
Bengals Favored to Lead the Pack
Don’t be fooled by Cincinnati’s 0-3 start and the Panthers winning last week. This is a game between a playoff contender and a 1st-overall pick contender. A blowout is unlikely with a more consistent Dalton raising Carolina’s floor, but the Bengals should absolutely win this game and avoid dropping to 0-4. We see Cincinnati winning this one 30-23.
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