3 winless NFL teams that could be in major trouble

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Noah Brown (85) catches a touchdown pass as Cincinnati Bengals safety Jessie Bates III (30) defends in the first quarter of an NFL Week 2 game, Sunday, Sept. 18, 2022, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The Dallas Cowboys won, 20-17.Nfl Cincinnati Bengals At Dallas Cowboys Sept 18 2731 /

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NFL Week 3, Cincinnati Bengals, Joe Burrow (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images) /

NFL Week 3: Bengals slow start could derail season

Of the three teams listed, Cincinnati is the one I would pick to pull themselves out of this early-season dive. The Bengals should have won both games, as they were in position against Pittsburgh but had an injured long snapper, and a slow start doomed the Dallas game. The slow starts have to stop. The defense has played well enough to win, but following last season’s blueprint, the team gets behind and has to adjust at the half and play catch up.

As long as you have Joe Burrow, that’s not necessarily a recipe for defeat, but until the line gels, more often than not it will be. Play calling once again has been vanilla at best, and Burrow is taking a beating despite the new look, same result offensive line. What the Bengals do have going for them is health, a belief that they are never out of the game, and Joe Burrow.

They know based on last season that as long as Burrow and Chase are in uniform, they are never out of the game, but an 0-2 start can’t snowball into 0-3 against a bad Jet team in the Meadowlands next week. If that happens the season could spiral out of control into a full Super Bowl Hangover.

Of course, this is not counting the Monday night games, so if Tennessee loses, you can throw them in the mix as well. Either way, at least three seasons will be on the line next week in must-win games for the Raiders, Panthers, and Bengals.

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