The Cincinnati Bengals are looking to bounce back from back-to-back 9-8 seasons without a playoff appearance. According to the oddsmakers, Cincy is projected to finish with a similar record for the third straight year.
Regular-season win total: 9.5 (BetMGM)
Outlook: The Bengals have underperformed in recent years for a variety of reasons, but Joe Burrow hasn’t been one of them. The star quarterback led the NFL last season in completions (460), passing yards (4,918) and passing touchdowns (43) and ranked second in success rate (53.2 percent) and CPOE (6.8).
You can’t blame Burrow’s weapons, either. Wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins combined for 2,619 receiving yards and 27 touchdowns in just 29 combined games played. With Chase and Higgins signed to long-term extensions and Chase Brown emerging as an effective three-down running back, this will be one of the most explosive offenses in the NFL in 2025-26.
That’s the good news, but what about the bad?
As elite as Cincinnati’s quarterback and offensive weapons are, the offensive line isn’t getting it done. The Bengals’ O-line ranked last in the NFL in pass block win rate last season, marking the fourth straight year in which it ranked 27th or worse. Releasing guard Alex Cappa and replacing him with 31-year-old Lucas Patrick won’t be enough to fix those issues, but maybe rookies Dylan Fairchild and Jalen Rivers and new offensive line coach Scott Peters can improve the unit.
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