BEREA, Ohio — Joe Burrow and Zac Taylor spent the offseason talking about the importance of the Cincinnati Bengals getting off to a fast start.

They get a chance to back it up on Sunday.

The Bengals are 5 1/2-point favorites for their season opener at Cleveland. Last year, Cincinnati was a nine-point favorite at home against New England but lost 16-10.

Cincinnati began 0-3 and ended the season on a five-game winning streak to finish 9-8. The loss to the Patriots loss loomed large as the Bengals missed the playoffs by one game.

Cincinnati is 1-5 in openers under Taylor, including losses in its last three. It hasn’t started 2-0 since 2018.

“I feel comfortable with where we’re at. I’m not worried about what questions people do or don’t have about us. We just have to go out there and play

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