CINCINNATI — FOX Sports’ analyst Carmen Vitali thinks the Bengals need to start fast this fall. The team has historically gotten off to terrible starts in the Zac Taylor era, but they have a chance to turn that around.

Cincinnati plays Cleveland on the road and Jacksonville at home in the first two weeks.

“The Bengals aren’t exactly known for fast starts. In fact, they’re 1-4 in Week 1 over the past five years,” Vitali noted. “The lone victory came in 2021, the year they went to the Super Bowl. In fact, they started 5-2 that year, which is something they should be aiming for this season, too. Though it might be a bit harder. The Bengals can theoretically ease into the season, taking on the Browns in Cleveland and the Jaguars at home. They’ll then travel to Minnesota, Denver, and Green Bay with a home game versus Detroit sandwiched in between.

“A three-game homestand against the Steelers, Jets, and Bears before their Week 10 bye might be favorable. But coming out of those first nine games with six wins could go a long way for Cincinnati toward setting up a return to the postseason without a lot of late-season heavy lifting. The Bengals have a three-game stretch from Weeks 13 to 15 where they get the Ravens twice and the Bills. You don’t want your playoff hopes riding on those weeks if you’re the Bengals, so your best bet is to get off to a good start, no matter how hard that’s been in recent years.”

Cincinnati is 7-14-1 in September during the Zac Taylor era.

They have started 0-2 in three consecutive seasons and went to the Super Bowl in the 2021 season, the last time they notched a Week 1 victory. Every game matters the same, and Cincinnati has to start better to maximize its Super Bowl chances.