Pressure has been added for the Cincinnati Bengals to win on " Monday Night Football " against the Washington Commanders.
The Bengals are winless after the first two weeks of the season, matching the starts from the previous two years. The Pittsburgh Steelers are now 3-0 to start the season, and catching the current AFC North leader would be improbable after going down three games out the gate.
Cincinnati is also just one of two teams remaining with an 0-2 record as Week 3 provided a promising trend.
Third time's a charm
Seven teams entered the Sunday slate of games with an 0-2 record and only one of them, the Tennessee Titans, fell to 0-3 with a loss.
That's a 6-1 record thanks to the efforts from the Baltimore Ravens, Carolina Panthers, Denver Broncos, Indianapolis Colts, Los Angeles Rams, and New York Giants.
The NFL has never been more of a week-to-week endeavor. The Panthers can look like the worst team in football for two weeks with a former first-overall NFL Draft pick at quarterback and then look like an NFC South contender with former Bengals starter Andy Dalton under center. The Rams can get blown out by the Arizona Cardinals one week and then upset the San Francisco 49ers a week later after suffering more injuries. Even the Denver Broncos can limit the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' efficient passing game and win by 19 points on the road after an abysmal first two games.
Regression to the mean, or just favorable matchups? Whatever the case may be, it bodes well for a Bengals that had a -7 point-differential entering the week paired with their 0-2 record. Now they get to play in a primetime setting as heavy favorites with both Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins running routes for Joe Burrow for the first time in 10 months.
Sometimes, it really does feel like you're due for one.
The Bengals, however, have no reason to overlook a Commanders team that can run the football as well as they can. Quarterback Jayden Daniels and running back Brian Robinson Jr. have averaged a combined 152,5 yards per game on the ground to start the year, and the Bengals have virtually no answers to that problem. The onus will be on their offense outscoring the visitors.
Playing under the lights in Paycor Stadium should also not be discounted. Zac Taylor teams are an undefeated 6-0 in home primetime games in both regular season and postseason action.
Whatever it takes to keep the trend alive.
