The Bengals are 3-1 and cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick believes they’ve solved one problem that contributed to their 31-21 loss to the Panthers in Week Three.
Kirkpatrick said Wednesday that he thinks the Bengals would have won that game had linebacker Vontaze Burfict in the lineup. Burfict was suspended for the first four games of the season for violating the league’s performance-enhancing drug policy and his return this week is a positive for Kirkpatrick.
“Instincts [are] one thing, but just to have him on the field, I definitely feel like that game we lost we wouldn’t have lost if we had him,” Kirkpatrick said, via the team’s website. “He just brings something different. He’s a veteran guy. He’s a guy that’s known out there on the field. And guys have to worry about him. I definitely feel that with the instincts he brings to the game, he’s always one step ahead.”
Other Bengals defenders share Kirkpatrick’s feeling and linebacker Preston Brown said Burfict’s presence should be of particular benefit on third downs. Head coach Marvin Lewis hasn’t outlined how much Burfict will play, but said his “job gets more fun” when Burfict is around so it’s probably a good bet that his presence will be a noticeable one.
