North Charlotte Today

For the first time since 2019, the Cincinnati Bengals have started the season with a 0-3 record. The last occurrence led to drafting Joe Burrow and moving on from long-time quarterback Andy Dalton. This week, the Panthers (1-2) will face an opponent with a worse record for the first time since November 28, 2021.

Joe Burrow's visit to Charlotte will be his first, marking only his second game against the Panthers. In their previous matchup in 2022, Burrow recorded impressive stats: completing 22 of 28 passes for 206 yards and one touchdown while adding another score on the ground.

Burrow is known for his versatile passing skills and ability to move within the pocket. He is supported by key receivers like Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. Higgins missed the first two weeks but returned during Monday Night Football this week. Second-year receiver Andrei Iosivas has also been a significant target for Burrow, especially in Higgins' absence.

In their first three games, Burrow targeted Chase and Iosivas on 34 percent of his passes, resulting in 300 yards and five touchdowns. Notably, Burrow had a perfect completion rate when targeting Chase in man coverage going into Week 3.

The Bengals have adjusted their running game following Joe Mixon's trade to the Houston Texans. Zach Moss has taken most of the carries with solid performance in tough situations, while Chase Brown offers more explosive plays with an average of 6.8 yards per carry.

Defensively, Lou Anarumo's unit maintains balance between pass defense and rush defense. They held opponents under 300 yards in each of their first two games but allowed Washington to gain 356 yards during Week 3's Monday Night Football.

Over the past two seasons, Anarumo's defense ranked among the top teams in takeaways and turnover differential. This season they have three takeaways so far. Linebackers Logan Wilson and Germaine Pratt are notable contributors with each recording 33 total tackles this season, tying them for fourth overall in the NFL.

The defensive line faces challenges due to injuries: Sheldon Rankins and B.J. Hill both suffered hamstring injuries during Week 2 against Kansas City Chiefs and missed Week 3 against Washington; third-round rookie McKinnley Jackson was placed on injured reserve before the season began.

Kicker Evan McPherson saw his streak of making consecutive field goals end at Monday night's game against Washington when he missed a 48-yard attempt after making his previous 29 field goals successfully. Despite this miss, McPherson has been reliable over his career—going perfect on field goals through Weeks One and Two this season including two from beyond fifty yards—and has never had a field goal blocked.

McPherson also handles kickoff duties efficiently; he ranked seventh best in hang time through two weeks averaging over four seconds per kickoff along with an average distance close to seventy yards per kickoff; thirteen out of sixteen kickoffs resulted in touchbacks while only three were returned averaging thirty-eight yards mainly due to one long return by Washington which skewed averages higher than usual twenty-six yard returns otherwise observed.