Cincinnati Bengals: Winning without Vontaze Burfict

Unlike in 2017, the Cincinnati Bengals have managed to find success with Vontaze Burfict out suspended to start 2018. How have they managed it?

With the 2018 season starting with the same unfortunate handicap as the 2017 version for the Cincinnati Bengals — star linebacker and emotional engine for the defense Vontaze Burfict being out for a handful of games to begin the year due to a suspension — you could be forgiven for expecting the opening results to this year to end up just the same.

That, of course, would be ugly losses in all the games Burfict would be missing, this time leaving the Bengals with an even more impossible hole to climb out of than in 2017.

Fortunately, that has not been the case. Instead of folding up against some tough competition without one of their most important players, Cincinnati has managed to open the year with a road victory over the Andrew Luck-led Indianapolis Colts and a home toppling of their rivals the Baltimore Ravens to start 2018 with a 2-0 record.

It has been a great way to start the year, but the question remains: how are they doing it? The team was so aimless and uninspired without Burfict before; why are they all of a sudden able to impress on their way to multiple wins in the same scenario this time around?

Well, it isn’t any singular reason; rather, there’s a clear list of factors which have combined to allow Cincinnati to overcome the absence of Burfict so far this year — factors which could continue to help them do so in the coming weeks until he finally returns to action.