The Cincinnati Bengals' preseason came and went in rather mercifully swift fashion. In the midst of figuring out who'll have the chops to be on the 53-man roster, this otherwise meaningless football just reinforced what is perceived to be the strengths and weaknesses of this team.
Joe Burrow and the offense balled out for the most part, scoring four touchdowns in five drives. The offense generally looked OK with Jake Browning under center against the Commanders in preseason Week 2.
But the oft-criticized Bengals defense didn't show anything for fans to be excited about. Although the coaching staff insists that they're holding back their more exotic schemes for the regular season, there were enough red flags in terms of poor tackling and yielding big plays to make the most naïve optimist nervous.