3 reasons the Washington Commanders will beat the Bengals in Week 3
The Washington Commanders defeated the New York Giants last week. Despite the team's red-zone woes, Dan Quinn's men are 1-1 on the season and rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels is on the right path.
Things could be a lot worse after two games. Most would have taken it if you had asked them if they would accept this situation going into Week 3 at the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday Night Football.
The Bengals are not in a position that many foresaw, despite sticking to a deeply ingrained habit. They always seem to start 0-2 and then have to climb from the early season ditch.
But they have the pieces for it. Not to mention that their No. 2 wideout, and one of the league's best complimentary pass-catchers, Tee Higgins, is going to be returning from injury just in time to assist Cincinnati's case against the Commanders.
This is not only a potentially culture-changing game for the Commanders, but it is for the Bengals as well. The only difference is that if Washington wins, the two teams will be headed in opposite directions.
With this in mind, here are three reasons why the Commanders will beat the Bengals at Paycor Stadium.
Reasons the Commanders will beat the Bengals in Week 3
Bengals' deteriorating culture
There was a lot of commotion in Cincinnati this offseason. A lot of it was for the wrong reasons, much of which seems to have bled over into this season's performance.
At one point in the offseason, their top two wideouts, Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, were both holding out together. Through two weeks, the former LSU star hasn't topped 100 yards in total. And Higgins hasn't even played a snap.
They are great players. They are not in a groove right now, but neither is the rest of the team. This is why the Bengals are in a 0-2 hole yet again and are staring 0-3 straight in the face.
While they did bounce back with a much better performance last weekend at the Kansas City Chiefs, we can't shrug off the measly 10 points that they put up against New England in Week 1. Even with Higgins coming back, he might not be ready for a big workload given how much football he's missed.
These are two teams that may be heading in opposite directions. All it is going to take is that first week where the offense opens up for Washington and they are going to become a nightmare. What better time than with the national spotlight glaring?