Setting the scene: Cincinnati opens its home schedule on Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers, as the Zac Taylor-led Bengals make their Paul Brown Stadium debut in regular season play. The Bengals, though, will have to shake off last week's loss to Seattle, a game in which they dominated the stat sheet but fell by a narrow one-point margin.

The Bengals' loss came despite lopsided statistical advantages in several key categories, including total yards (429 to 233), first downs (22 to 12), net passing yards (395 to 161) and time of possession (35:50 to 24:10). But the Seahawks forced three turnovers to the Bengals' one, and they scored TDs on both red-zone opportunities while Cincinnati managed just two FGs on its three opportunities.

Despite the disappointing result, Sunday's game created a healthy dose of optimism after strong performances on both sides of the ball. On offense, QB Andy Dalton notched career-highs in both completions (35) and passing yards (418), en route to a 106.5 passer rating. It was Dalton's first career 400-yard passing game, and the most passing yards in a season-opener in Bengals history.

Also garnering praise was third-year WR John Ross, who had his best game as a pro after two seasons of battling injuries and struggling to stay on the field. Ross, who played collegiately at the University of Washington, starred in his homecoming to the Emerald City, logging career-highs in receptions (seven), receiving yards (158) and receiving TDs (two). Ross' TDs went for 33 yards on a flea-flicker, and 55 yards on a deep ball to put the Bengals on top at halftime.

On the other side of the ball, the defensive line stole the show. The line held the Seahawks' powerful rushing attack to just 72 yards, 88 below their NFL-best 160-yard average last season. The Bengals also recorded six tackles for losses on the day, including four sacks. Two of those sacks came from second-year DE Sam Hubbard, who was making his first career start.

The Bengals' nine previous head coaches were 4-5 in their home debuts, a mark Taylor will look to even up this weekend. A key factor in doing so will be the availability of injured HB Joe Mixon (ankle) and OT Cordy Glenn (concussion), whose statuses Taylor deemed on Monday as "day-to-day."