Bengals QB Joe Burrow and their starters will actually play in the preseason this year, HC Zac Taylor recently confirmed. Part of an effort to stave off slow starts that have plagued them, the Sean McVay disciple is shifting strategies. The new-wave approach has prioritized keeping starters healthy, but early-season rust is just as big a threat to their season.
A year ago, Cincinnati began the season 0-3, then 1-4. After a hard-charging finish, the Bengals finished 9-8 on the strength of a 5-0 run, but Burrow and company just missed reaching the postseason. As it turns out, the first game of the season counts just as much as the 11th or the 15th.