Quick Slant: Cincinnati and Washington Try to Earn Their Stripes on MNF
Commanders @ Bengals, Monday @ 8:15 PM
The Bengals have gotten off to a slow start yet again. This seems to be the way of things. They answered their surprising Week 1 fizzle against New England with a highly competitive game against their rival, the defending champs. The Chiefs were all but doomed until a seemingly unnecessary defensive pass interference penalty on fourth down let them off the hook and kept their drive alive. And so the Bengals are 0-2, pushing the boulder up the hill yet again.
Thankfully, for Washington fans, the Daniel Snyder era—an ownership regime that took a once-proud and highly respected franchise and held them underwater until all the life was gone—has been mercifully vanquished. The Commanders are rightfully rebuilding (though arguably rebuilding wrongly). Still, it feels freer and more fun than before. They are ahead of the Bengals in the standings, beating the Giants a week ago by a field goal, but the Bengals enter as 7.5-point favorites.
Commanders’ Implied Team Total: 19.5
The Commanders are 17th in scoring per game and tenth in yards per game. With a high-profile Heisman-winning QB under center, this must feel like a great heaving sigh of relief.
But it’s better than that. The Commanders – those Commanders – are fourth in offensive EPA per play and fifth in offensive success rate. They are sixth in EPA per rush, fourth in rushing success rate, and fourth in EPA per dropback.
