The Cincinnati Bengals looked lost in Cleveland for a team that didn’t need to travel out of the state for the season opener, taking a 24-3 hit on the chin.
While the slow start mirrors the one from a year ago that still saw the Bengals reach the AFC title game, that doesn’t make it much easier for the organization or fans to absorb.
What we can do while waiting for Week 2 though, is look at some of the strategies deployed by the coaches in rainy Cleveland.
Here’s a quick look at some snap count takeaways from the loss.
- Cam Taylor Britt and Dax Hill each played 99 percent of the possible defensive snaps, confirming their roles for the long-term.
- Trey Hendrickson saw 59 percent of the snaps on a day Joseph Ossai wasn’t available to rotate.
- Chidobe Awuzie only 58 percent of the snaps in his return from injury, which was probably a combination of a limit imposed by coaches and the slippery weather that was causing injuries.
- First-rounder Myles Murphy played just 13 snaps.
- New tight end Irv Smith Jr. played 30 snaps (54 percent), catching three passes.
- Trayveon Williams (16 snaps, 29 percent) was the main rotational back and got some third-down looks.
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