CINCINNATI — Whether the game counts in the official standings or is a preseason contest, Cincinnati Bengals center Ted Karras always keeps the same routine.
Before each game, Karras will walk roughly 200 yards of the field, pacing down the team’s sideline, careful not to infringe on the opponent’s side out of respect. He wants to know how the grass feels, what the other team is wearing, how the stadium smells. Because whether it’s Game 1 or No. 144, which is what it will be for Karras, the nerves are still there.
“There’s always going to be anxiety when you perform in the NFL,” Karras said.
Karras might be slightly more relaxed when the Bengals open the season on the road to face the Cleveland Browns (1 p.m. ET, Fox). He and the rest of the team’s starters received the most amount of preseason snaps this year. The Bengals also significantly altered their training camp routine, from practicing earlier to eliminating joint practices.
All of it is aimed at fixing the most persistent issue during coach Zac Taylor’s tenure — the inability to win games at the beginning of the season. In Taylor’s six seasons, the Bengals have one combined win in Weeks 1 and 2, the NFL’s worst record during that span.
“It’s an entire group that’s been champing at the bit to get back on the field and set the tone,” Taylor said. “We really put ourselves behind the 8-ball last year and so guys are fired up to start the right way this year.”
Last season, Cincinnati started the season with three straight losses, which was one of many things that came back to haunt the Bengals. They finished the season with a 9-8 record and missed the playoffs for the second straight year.
That led to a slew of changes in the preseason. The biggest difference was the increased playing reps in the team’s first two exhibition games. Quarterback Joe Burrow, who will play at every opportunity available, led the offense in five preseason drives.
It was an acknowledgement that how the Bengals prepared for seasons needed to change.
“Unfortunately, early-season performance is not a current part of [our established] foundation,” offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher said. “That’s a reality that we understand and that we’ve really taken a lot of steps to remedy. I think we’ve had a good camp. I think [Burrow] is in a really good place.”
Game participation wasn’t the only major shift this preseason. Cincinnati moved practices to the morning and walkthroughs to the early evening. That meant a day was virtually over at 4 p.m. and the team was installing new concepts at night.
“It’s mentally taxing,” Pitcher said. “There is more information to be able to learn and retain, then go home and sleep on it and come back in the morning and be able to execute it in practice.”
Veteran running back Samaje Perine was a major fan of the change. When he played for the Denver Broncos in 2023 and at the beginning of 2024, they had a similar setup. That meant that players had to recall the concepts installed the previous night. Less practice time was wasted ironing out new wrinkles.
“It really just forces you to start fast,” Perine said. “And that was really [Taylor]’s main thing this offseason — starting fast.”
Cincinnati has an opportunity to capitalize on an advantageous September schedule. ESPN’s Football Power Index has the Bengals heavily favored in Sunday’s matchup against the Browns and a Week 2 home opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars. The following road contests against the Minnesota Vikings and Broncos are considered near toss-ups.
Having a healthy Burrow for the first time since his rookie season in 2020 should be a big boost for a team that has struggled offensively at the start of each year. But the preseason changes and the comments from players show that it was bigger than a Pro Bowl quarterback getting settled into the season.
Now it’s just a matter of proving that this season will finally be different.
Said Taylor: “We just gotta go out there and get it done.”
