W2L4: Last Chance For Joe Burrow, Regulars To Tune Up For Sept. 7, Right Guard, Secondary In Focus vs. Commanders

Bengals (0-1 Preseason) at Commanders (0-1), Mon. Aug. 18 at Northwest Stadium (grass), 8 p.m. ET, TV: ESPN, WLWT-TV Ch.5 (Cincinnati) Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Lisa Salters, Laura Rutledge, Radio: Dan Hoard, Dave Lapham. WEBN-FM (102.7 FM), ESPN1530

LANDOVER, Md. – The Bengals have waited 11 days to get back in a game competition and Monday night, before a national audience they’ll get their chance.

Most importantly, the second preseason game will be the final chance for most regulars to play before the regular season begins on Sept. 7 at Cleveland.

We’ve already seen from Joe Burrow that he is ready for the season, completing 9-of-10 passes for 123 yards and two touchdowns. Ja’Marr Chase certainly looked ready to roll and Chase Brown came out running hard.

But the biggest question is at right guard where Cody Ford started as the favorite in camp with Lucas Patrick nursing an injury but then Patrick starting getting most of the first-team reps while Ford was moved around between second team right guard, left tackle and right tackle.

Then last week, with Amarius Mims getting some time off to manage a hand/wrist issue, Ford got a look at right tackle on the first unit next to Patrick. That didn’t go so well with Kris Jenkins and Shemar Stewart wreaking havoc on Friday and before that, Stewart breaking through against Patrick and hitting Burrow and knocking him accidentally to the ground.

The question is how worried should Bengals fans be? How impressive is Stewart? Ideally, the Bengals would like to see both Ford and Patrick take major steps forward against Washington. They would like to see Stewart take that next step in game competition.

The Commanders come into this game after a butt-whooping from the Patriots in Foxboro on Aug. 8, 48-18.

Jayden Daniels didn’t play in that game but he’s expected to get a look against the Bengals in his only preseason exposure this season. Star receiver Terry McLaurin also did not play and won’t play as he’s still engaged in a “hold-in” with the Commanders, though there may be some movement in the contract negotiations.

As for the Bengals, their “hold-in” Trey Hendrickson remains at an impasse with the team, as the Bengals reportedly have again starting listening to trade offers for the star edge. But multiple reports, including that of Paul Dehner Jr. of the Athletic, indicate that the Bengals want ready-made players back in return along with high draft capital.

We’ll see if that’s just another negotiating ploy or if there are serious bidders on the market for Hendrickson.

Here’s what to look for:

When the Bengals have the ball:

Joe Burrow:
Joe Burrow will again start and play Monday, and is expected to follow the same play time schedule as Aug. 7 in Philadelphia. Jake Browning looks for a better night than he had in Philadelphia, where he was just 6-of-14 for 62 yards and an interception.

Receiving corps:
This will be Noah Fant’s first exposure to the Bengals offense and Burrow worked him in thoroughly this week. Burrow appears ready to get him some targets against the Commanders. Burrow targeted Tee Higgins on the first pass against the Eagles and threw behind him. Chase caught four passes on four targets for 77 yards and a touchdown. This might be Higgins night to catch a few.

Interior offensive line:
The play of Lucas Patrick and Cody Ford has to be better than it was last week in practice or it’ll be a short night (one series) for Burrow. Also on the second unit, there’s no Cordell Volson, as his season could be in question with a significant shoulder injury sustained while playing back-up center last week. This means Jaxson Kirkland and rookie Jalen Rivers could come into focus.

When the Commanders have the ball:

Defensive line: Though Zac Taylor wouldn’t commit to it, it sure looks like Shemar Stewart is the presumptive candidate to replace Sam Hubbard as starting left defensive edge. But then again, with Trey Hendrickson out, it’s given Golden the chance to see Stewart and Joseph Ossai on the field together, with Stewart in Hendrickson’s spot on the right and Ossai in Hubbard’s spot on the left. With Myles Murphy out, watch for a lot of Cam Sample. On the inside, McKinnley Jackson is getting push from Howard Cross III, who has looked stout.

Linebackers: In the preseason opener, we said that the Bengals revamped their linebacker room with Demetrius Knight Jr., Barrett Carter and Oren Burks. We left out Joe Giles-Harris, the free agent from Jacksonville, who was all over the field against the Eagles and had an interception. Will he continue that kind of effort and production? Giles-Harris is definitely battling for a roster spot with Maema Njongmeta.

Defensive backs: Time to focus on Cam Taylor-Britt, Dax Hill and Marco Wilson, especially Hill. Coming off an ACL tear last October, the Bengals are hoping he’s close to full strength. If he is, he will be critical in Golden’s secondary, swapping in and out of slot and outside corner roles. Keep a close eye on how Hill is deployed against the Washington receiving corps. Taylor-Britt has been ramping up after managing nagging injuries in camp. Same with Marco Wilson. DJ Ivey and Josh Newton have been getting looks at outside corner. At safety, Jordan Battle’s job is secure. But Geno Stone is out with a hamstring so watch Tycen Anderson, Daijahn Anthony and PJ Jules closely. Anthony might need to show something positive in the final two games. Jules has been a great story out of Southern Illinois.

Evan McPherson The Bengals fifth-year kicker had a solid first preseason game, converting field goals of 36 and 51 yards and drilling all three extra points. He’s had a quietly effective camp and preseason, just what the doctor ordered after last season came to an end prematurely with a groin injury.

Cal Adomitis vs. William Wagner: Both got looks in the preseason opener. This is a legitimate battle for long snapper, with Adomitis holding a presumed edge if all things are equal since Darrin Simmons doesn’t want to give McPherson another long snapper to deal with.

Bottom Line:

This is a rematch of last September’s Monday night stunner at Paycor when Jayden Daniels and Washington came into Cincinnati and walked out with a 38-33 win. This was the first indication that the Bengals defense had serious problems. Those problems were never really fixed, leading to major changes on the coaching staff and a new defensive coordinator. Now, Al Golden has a chance to see if his players are moving to a point where they will be difference-makers in 2025. There were lots of missed tackles and missed gaps in the first half of the 34-27 loss to the Eagles in the preseason opener. The Bengals looked much better in the second half. Here’s thinking that’s to walk out of DC with a win this time.

Bengals 26, Commanders 20