They were the Cinderella story of the 2021-22 season, going all the way to the Super Bowl. Are they the real deal or a one-hit wonder?
Strength
The big strength for this team is their explosive passing attack. Last season they ranked third in the league for net yards per attempt, meaning they took chunk yardage regularly.
The Joe Burrow/Ja’Maar Chase combination was absolutely dynamic with Chase averaging a ridiculous 18 yards per catch. With Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd there as well, this passing attack is going to be seriously fun.
Weakness
The criticism of the Bengals going into last season was their offensive line and it proved to be correct despite their success.
Joe Burrow was sacked a massive 51 times in the regular season, plus a playoff record nine times against Tennessee in the wildcard round.
The Bengals did a great job on paper improving their offensive line during the off-season, but we need to see them produce.
(Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
Player to watch
One of my favourite players in the draft, Daxton Hill, was drafted by the Bengals and he is so fun to watch.
He can play every position in the secondary, and most likely will play as a safety but will play some key snaps at cornerback. He is fast and will definitely be a key playmaker for this defence in the back end.
Who’s under pressure?
Jessie Bates has been one of the Bengals’ best players over the last few seasons but has been strong in demanding a long-term extension.
The fact the Bengals haven’t budged and drafted a potential replacement in Dax Hill means Bates has to have a massive season to justify the extension that he is looking for. If his play drops, he could be in new colours come 2023-24.
Projection
I think the Bengals are one of the toughest teams in the NFL to try and get a read on.
Part of me wants to believe they were a one-hit wonder and Cinderella story, but the other part of me looks at their off-season improvement and natural progression and can’t see them struggling.
What I do know for sure is I can’t wait to see more Burrow to Chase!
Win-loss prediction: 10-7.
Rohn
Guest
The Bengals caught lightning in a bottle last season. They had one of those seasons where they benefitted from every possible break going their way (see the last few minutes of the Chiefs game for an example), but 2022 is a new season. Cincinnati won't sneak up on anyone this year, and opposing defences will remember the unearned cockiness of Joe Burrow. Expect 8 or 9 wins and a second place finish to the Ravens.
Jake Smith
Roar Rookie
Sorry to disappoint Sheikh, but the combination of the AFC being ridiculously stacked, my high opinion of the Ravens and the tendency for young teams to have a down year after over achieving led me to 10-7 I am happy for you to see your franchise have some success as it has been so long and am wishing you all the best for the season but we will have to wait and see how close I get with the 10-7 projection!
Sheikh
Roar Rookie
Well Jake, as a Bengals fan, I'm disappointed with your prediction of 10-7 when we've upgraded the one glaring weakness from last year (the O-line) which was something like the 29th ranked unit last season. The guys they've picked up aren't just pass protectors, either, so I'd expect to see a bit more balanced offense with Mixon hopefully showing that he's one of the best RBs in the league. The other area which looked a weakness going into last season was the linebackers, and especially their depth behind the starters. And the LB depth was tested with first the starters, then the back-ups and finally the practice squad players all getting game time due to injuries. And they largely held up, meaning that despite not drafting a LB the group is settled and, if not a strength, at least not a weakness. I'll wait to see how Eli Apple goes this season, but we've drafted well enough with Hill and Taylor-Britt that the question marks about Bates and Apple aren't deep concerns. I don't think we'll necessarily make it back to the Superbowl this year - the AFC has just got ridiculously strong - but we should make the playoffs and now we've got that 30 year hoodoo off our backs I'm looking forward to January for once!