Cincinnati Bengals Have a Problem They Need to Fix to Turn the Page in 2026

The start of a new NFL season brings renewed optimism for every team, and the Cincinnati Bengals are no different. After another disappointing season in 2025, Cincinnati enters 2026 looking to turn the page and get back into the playoff picture.

But if the Bengals want to make that happen, they will need to fix an issue that has followed them in recent years: slow starts.

Over the last five seasons, Cincinnati has struggled to build momentum early in the year. The Bengals have finished their first five games with a losing record in four of those five seasons.

In 2021, Cincinnati got off to its best start of the past five seasons, going 3-2 through its first five games. That team went on to finish 10-7, win the AFC North and make a run to Super Bowl LVI.

The following season, however, the Bengals were 2-3 after five games. Despite the slow start, Cincinnati recovered and finished 12-4, winning the AFC North before reaching the AFC Championship Game.

The Bengals again started 2-3 in 2023. Cincinnati ultimately finished 9-8 and missed the playoffs.

Then came an even tougher beginning in 2024. The Bengals dropped four of their first five games, starting the season 1-4. Despite averaging 27.8 points per game for the season, Cincinnati finished 9-8 and missed the postseason.

Last season followed a similar pattern. Cincinnati won its first two games before dropping three straight, finishing the first five games 2-3. The Bengals ultimately finished 6-11 after losing Joe Burrow for most of the season, their worst record of the five-season stretch.

That puts Cincinnati at a combined 10-15 through the first five games of the past five seasons. While the Bengals have been able to fight out of the holes they’ve dug for themselves before, they need to avoid that at all costs.

A slow start does not automatically eliminate a team from playoff contention, the Bengals have made the climb much harder on themselves. The 2022 season proved Cincinnati can overcome a 2-3 beginning, but that kind of recovery is difficult to consistently repeat.

Now, with the 2026 season approaching, Cincinnati needs to establish itself early. The Bengals have expectations of competing for a playoff spot, and dropping games at the beginning of the season can leave little margin for error later.

A strong start would not guarantee a playoff berth, but it could put the Bengals in a much better position to compete when the postseason race heats up.

For a team trying to turn the page, the first five games could be more important than ever. The season opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is now just nine days away.