Five keys to Washington's prime-time win over Cincinnati

2. Put pressure on Joe Burrow.

As with the rest of the Bengals' offense, Burrow's performance through two games can be misleading. He ranks mid-table in the league in passing yards (422) with a QBR (56.5). Burrow's health prevented him from putting up impressive numbers in 2023, but he's still the quarterback who led the league in completion rate in 2021 and had back-to-back 4,000-yard seasons. So don't get this wrong: Burrow will be a problem for the Commanders on Monday.

Although the Bengals are protecting Burrow better on the offensive line, he's still under more pressure than the team would like, as he's been sacked six times. Five of those sacks have come on third down. So if the Commanders can get their pass rush going, they'll have an opportunity to get Burrow off the field.

The Commanders are still searching for that level of performance, though. Their pass rushers have certainly won their matchups well, as their combined pass-rush win rate of 45% ranks 11th in the NFL, but they currently rank last with just two sacks. Like the offense, the unit has struggled to finish plays, in part because the players are still working on their chemistry with one another.

Getting to Burrow won't be easy, as Cincinnati's offensive line ranks fifth in pass blocking win percentage, but if the Commanders can at least speed up his process, that could be enough to keep Cincinnati's offense on track to start the year.