This time of the year is perfect for a weekend spent inside my Mancave, as I love throwing the Bengals and Reds on in the garage and spending my evening in the recliner watching our Cincinnati teams. Having Bengals football back and watching our first preseason game is bittersweet, as I am still in baseball mode and hate to see summer slowly come to a close (I hate having to close up my pool).

However, there is a lot riding on this Bengals season in 2024, and expectations have never been higher. With Tee, Ja’Marr (he will play) and Burton all on this roster, our window of winning a Super Bowl trophy is right now with our offensive core in their prime. Let’s dive into what I saw from their loss against the Buccaneers on Saturday:

*Joe Burrow looked very good in his first drive that ended in seven points. He had a few short gains, threw a deep ball and found Higgins later in the drive for a score and for his first return back to live action. You couldn’t ask for a better drive down the field for number 9.

*Jermaine Burton is a vertical threat that Cincinnati desperately needed. He has good hands and provided some excitement on Saturday with his touchdown grab. I think he is good enough to come right out and be our WR3, but it appears he might be lower on the depth chart than I expected. As the season progresses, I expect 81 to be a major part of our offense and it will result in Ja’Marr getting a lot more reps in the slot with Tyler Boyd no longer on the team.

*Jackson Carman may have put together the worst preseason performance in Bengals history. Holy. Our expectations were low, but he really took it to another level of low. I can’t watch him take reps for this team with Burrow under center. Four penalties in total, all in the same quarter. He also gave up multiple pressures and his highlight reel is enough to give Cincinnati nightmares after that performance.

*Amarius Mims was the steal of the draft. He gets out of his stance quickly and moves fast for a 6 foot 8 inch, 340-pound lineman. I am glad he is a Bengal.

*Jake Browning didn’t look very good, but it is not something I would worry about in the slightest. He went 10/18, with one interception and a QBR of 37.7.

*While I wouldn’t be concerned, Cincinnati did however end the game with just 36 rush yards. For Cincinnati to be effective this year, they have to find a way to get Brown going and Moss downfield. Moss didn’t have any snaps in this game due to an illness.

*Maema Njongmeta may have put together the best performance of the night. His 10 tackles were enough to lead the team and he had seven solo tackles. He was all over the field and took advantage of this opportunity.

*Josh Newton went up for a big interception. The 23-year-old out of TCU was quick to turn around and hold on to a ball thrown by Kyle Trask.

*I am not a fan of the new kickoff rules. The kicker still kicks from his own 35, but his teammates are in front of them. They cannot move forward until the ball is touched or hits the ground. Only two receiving players can be in the landing zone. A kick short of the landing zone results in starting at the 40. A kick in the receiving area starts at the 20. A kick resulting in a touchback begins at the 30. All of these, obviously only if the return team doesn’t return the ball. Onside kicks can only happen in the fourth quarter. I don’t know, too many rules for me. Maybe I will change my mind as the season progresses, but for now, it is just a mess of rules to me.

Tired of Losing to the Brewers

At least Cincinnati managed to take a game on Sunday, but they once again lost a series to Milwaukee. I am tired of being beaten by them series after series, year after year. To add to the disastrous matchup, the Reds added another game to the column of “having 3 hits or less.” Cincinnati now has 17 games in which this has occurred, making them the worst in the league in this aspect. Another one-run game loss was added in this series as well while finding through FanGraphs that Cincinnati is 29th out of 30 teams in “clutch” hits. When was the last time you heard Rally Reds? Easter? Cincinnati has now lost nine straight series to Milwaukee, 34 out of the last 47, and is 10-21 in one-run games. Misery…

*Nick Martinez was phenomenal in his outing, going seven innings and allowing no runs, and just one hit. Cincinnati may have given up on him just a bit too soon as a starter.

*If this team is serious about playing the best current players, Santiago Espinal would be in the lineup every day. He is probably our best defensive option at third or second, is hitting the ball better than anyone on this roster (hits in 14 of his last 15 games), and honestly, deserves more playing time than Noelvi. Don’t get me wrong, Noelvi has been swinging the bat much better and is the future, but if you want to win now, Espinal deserves regular at-bats and an on-field presence.

*Everyone loves to bash Krall and at times, he could deserve some criticism. However, the addition of Santiago Espinal and now, Ty France, deserves credit where it is due. Ty France has a batting average of .273 with two homers in his last 10 games. He’s made an immediate impact on this roster, unlike Austin Slater.

*With Ashcraft out, Williamson out and no longer having Montas, Cincinnati is weak in the rotation every five starts, as Spiers just hasn’t figured it out yet. He is serviceable and has a bright future, but for right now, it is a weakness.

*At 57-61, this team is running out of time to get back to .500. However, they have three games beginning Monday against the Cardinals which could put them right back in the race. I have no expectations for this series, but I do feel like Cincinnati is better than St. Louis on paper. Abbott, Greene and Spiers appear to be our three starters for the series, facing Sonny Gray, Erick Fedde, and Kyle Gibson. If Abbott could figure it out, I would say this might be an advantage in Cincinnati’s favor.

*I must have an illness, as this season is still in reach for Cincinnati. They are only 4.5 games back from a playoff spot. They are a good series away from being right in the mix. Someone take the standings away from me, as I still have hope. There is something seriously wrong…

Matthew McAdow is a Peebles resident. He works in human resources in the nuclear industry and has been an avid Cincinnati fan his entire life. He is an Ohio Christian University graduate and has always enjoyed giving an honest opinion on multiple topics regarding Cincinnati sports.