The Cincinnati Bengals suddenly face what feels like a tall task in Week 1 against the New England Patriots.
What seemed like an advantageous matchup against a rebuilding team has taken a turn with the Tee Higgins injury and the unknowns around Ja’Marr Chase.
Here’s a look at key storylines and things to watch.
The WRs
So what now? Higgins is doubtful with another hamstring issue, which means he’s out. Chase claimed he’ll play without an extension, but if at all, on a limited basis. So is the starting three Andrei Iosvias, Trenton Irwin and Charlie Jones? Or do they throw rookie Jermaine Burton out there despite his red flags? Perhaps they just go much more run heavy and implement tight end Mike Gesicki in a lot as a slot target.
RT
We know to watch Joe Burrow and that wrist, sure. But what about right tackle? It sure looked like first-rounder Amarius Mims was going to unexpectedly steal the job before getting hurt. Veteran Trent Brown has a lot of reps over the course of his career, but didn’t get a ton of work when finally on the field this summer.
Interior DL
The big plan to replace DJ Reader was to slightly mix up the approach by getting more names in there. Sheldon Rankins and B.J. Hill are a huge part of that. But two of the early rookies they drafted are already on the shelf with injuries, which leaves them in the same place as last year — with Zach Carter and Jay Tufele as the backups. The Patriots will look to exploit it.
Coaching
The change at offensive coordinator has seemingly been lost in the chaos of the summer. But Dan Pitcher steps into the role and it’s worth wondering what wrinkles in execution might pop up as the team goes under center more, never mind the how and why of Zac Taylor’s involvement.
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